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ON LAND AND SEA WITH CiESAR 


or 


FOLLOWING THE EAGLES 






The enemy dashed at the struggling men in the 

WATER.— P(((je 196. 


On Land and Sea with Caesar 

or 

Following the Eagles 


RrF.' 



" W ELLS 


ILLUSTRATED BY 

FRANK T. MERRILL 


■> 

» • 

J ) 9 



BOSTON 

LOTHROP, LEE & SHEPARD CO. 










'■ 5 



Copyright, 1926, 

By Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Co. 

On Land and Sea with C^sar 





Printed in U. S. A. 


■WorwooD pre00 
BERWICK & SMITH CO. 
Norwood, Mass. 



©CU050159 

'T.AC I 






PREFACE 


This book, like a previous one, is based on 
the story told by Caesar himself in his “ Com¬ 
mentaries on the Gallic War.” The former, 
“ With Caesar’s Legions,” having two young 
cousins, Titus and Julius Colenus, as central 
figures, covered Book I. “ On Land and Sea 
With Caesar ” in the same way carries the 
story through the remaining seven books. 
Much of it has to do with Books II, III, and 
IV, thus forming helpful side reading for the 
“ Caesar ” usually studied in high schools, and 
for ancient history in general. 

The tale is not merely one of following 
Caesar the conqueror, for that would present 
only one view of a many-sided man. Caesar did 
conquer Gaul, but he did far more than that. 
Wherever he went, he established stable gov¬ 
ernment, promoted commerce and agriculture, 
brought law and order to jealous, quarreling 
communities, and never interfered with the 
religious institutions of conquered peoples. 

He was no less a statesman than a soldier. 

5 


6 


PREFACE 


Caesar showed a most amazing skill in man¬ 
aging men, not only in directing the legionaries 
under his command, in whom he inspired a de¬ 
votion shown to few generals in the world’s 
history, but also in gaining the respect and 
confidence of alien nations, both leaders and 
common people. 

These books deal with Cgesar’s career as a 
soldier, when his ability was of the highest, and 
best shown when in straits, facing seemingly 
hopeless odds. “ Caesar had the inborn qual¬ 
ities of a great captain,” says one military 
critic. The surpassing engineering skill of his 
campaigns excited admiration in Rome in his 
day, and the world still holds it. The superb 
courage and endurance of his troops have never 
lost their charm. These qualities were given in 
fullest measure to the service of the man who 
also won devotion to his cause from certain 
Gallic chiefs and entire Gallic tribes, and could 
record it all in lasting narrative. “ Csesar was 
born to do great things,” says Plutarch. 

R. F. Wells. 

Montpelier, Vt, 

1926. 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER 

I. 

With the Eagles Again 


PAGE 

. 11 

II. 

A Eeunion .... 


. 22 

III. 

Marching North 


. 31 

IV. 

Some Easy Victories 


. 45 

y. 

A Set-Back for the Legions 

. 67 

VI. 

Siege Operations 


. 68 

VII. 

The Bravest of the Brave 


. 75 

VIII. 

The Young Centurion . 


. 91 

IX. 

In the Passes of the Alps 


. 103 

X. 

Captured by the Enemy 


. 119 

XI. 

A Letter Home 


. 133 

XII. 

Campaigning on the Coast 


. 142 

XIII. 

Through Vast Forests . 


. 154 

XIV. 

Beyond the Bhine . 


. 170 

XV. 

New Plans 


. 180 

XVI. 

Into Unknown Seas . 


. 189 

XVII. 

On Britain’s Shores 


. 199 

XVIII. 

A Difficult Campaign . 


. 210 

XIX. 

Gaul in Revolt 


. 225 

XX. 

A Desperate Situation . 


. 234 

XXI. 

Crushing the Revolt 


. 246 

XXII. 

An Early Spring Campaign 


. 265 

XXIII. 

Old Friends. A New Enemy 

. 275 

XXIV. 

The Rebellion Spreads . 

• 

. 288 

XXV. 

The Last Stand of the Gauls 

. 303 

XXVI. 

A Tale Retold 

• 

. 323 


7 





/ 


1 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

The enemy dashed at the strug¬ 
gling men in the water (Page 

196). Frontispiece 

FACING PAGE 

Csesar’s Routes in Gaul and Britain, 

58-51 B. c. {Map) .30 

The whole ladder was hurled backward . 64 

The mistress of the house soon came 

into the dark room.122 

The army was led across the bridge . . 182 

He unrolled the parchment and read: 

“ Courage. Expect succor.’’ . . 244 


9 


On Land and Sea With Caesar, 

or 

Following the Eagles 

CHAPTER I 

WITH THE EAGLES AGAIN 

The cavalcade turned the shoulder of a 
mountain and looked down into the valley be¬ 
low. 

‘"Look!” shouted Julius. “There’s the 
camp.” 

Far below in the bend of the river, the out¬ 
line of the walls of the Roman camp could be 
made out, and the huts the legionary soldiers 
had occupied during the winter could be dis¬ 
tinguished, standing in orderly rows along the 
camp streets. 

“ I wonder what the men have been doing 
all winter long,” said Titus. 

“We shall soon find out,” replied Julius. 
“ Won’t it be great to be back with the legion 
again? ” 

“ You are right, it will,” agreed his com¬ 
il 


12 ON LAND AND SEA WITH C^SAR 


panion. “I’m dying to get back in the ranks 
again, aren’t you? I for one am sick of the 
headquarters work.” 

“ Me, too,” answered Julius. “ I hope Cae¬ 
sar puts us back with our old command.” 

The two young Roman soldiers, Titus and 
Julius Colenus, were riding in the bodyguard 
of Julius Caesar, commanding general of the 
Roman army of occupation in Gaul, who was 
returning in early spring to take personal 
command of his troops in the field, after hav¬ 
ing spent the winter in the provinces attend¬ 
ing to his duties as proconsul. 

The boys, still in their teens, the youngest 
legionaries in the Roman army, had seen a 
season of active service in the field. They had 
enlisted at the outbreak of hostilities in the 
war against the Helvetian people, taking part 
in the campaign the previous summer in which 
Ceesar with his legions had driven back the 
Helvetian tribes that migrated from their 
mountain homes, advancing into and devastat¬ 
ing the country of the Gauls who were allied 
to the Romans, and threatening the safety of 
the Roman empire itself. 

Then, later in the season, the Colenus boys 


WITH THE EAGLES AGAIN 


13 


had gone with the Roman army in the march 
against the invading Germans and hurled them 
back across the Rhine. Detailed to serve 
through the winter with the general’s body¬ 
guard, they had spent several months away 
from the main body of troops. 

“ What’s ahead for this season’s work, I 
wonder,” remarked Titus, as the general and 
his bodyguard rode down the mountainside to¬ 
wards the camp. 

“ Don’t you know? ” returned Julius. “ I 
thought I told you what I overheard one of 
the centurions saying the other day. There are 
rumors that the Belgian tribes are forming a 
confederacy against us, to come against our 
army and drive us out of Gaul.” 

“ The Belgians,” exclaimed Titus. “ Why, 
they are the bravest of the brave, I hear, the 
only tribes that could withstand the barbarians 
that swept over Gaul and conquered all the 
other tribes.” 

“ The same,” said Julius. “We shall have 
a hot summer’s work, I think. Perhaps our 
last summer’s campaign was a j)icnic compared 
to what is coming.” 

“ That’s all right if you mean it as a joke,” 


14 ON LAND AND SEA WITH CJESAR 


replied Titus, but it was no picnic, I tell you, 
when our cohorts stood the shock of those wild¬ 
eyed hordes of Ariovistus’ army.” 

“ No, indeed,” his companion said, soberly. 
“ I shall never forget that day we met the Ger¬ 
mans in battle, our first big fight.” 

He held up his hand and gazed at the ring 
which he proudly wore on his finger, the gift 
of Csesar, bestowed on him for personal bravery 
in that great battle. 

Titus’ body bore the scars of wounds re¬ 
ceived in the terrific struggle with the Ger¬ 
mans, when the barbarians had pressed the 
sturdy Roman legions hard. Although both 
boys had entered the army at an age younger 
than that at which they might be drafted into 
service, they had borne their parts like men 
in all the hard marches, the skirmishes, and the 
final battle that brought victory to the Roman 
arms and made all the tribes of Central and 
Western Gaul look to the Roman general, 
Csesar, as their friend and protector against in¬ 
vading tribes. 

Titus returned to the line of questioning he 
had started. “ Why is it the Belgians are 
arming against us? ” 


WITH THE EAGLES AGAIN 


15 


“All I know,” replied Julius, “ is what I 
gathered from the conversation I overheard 
between two centurions. They said the Bel¬ 
gian tribes, along the northern seacoast, had 
taken alarm because Csesar had come into Gaul, 
and were resolved to get up a huge army and 
come and crush us before we can subdue more 
tribes.” 

“ But we have not subdued the tribes of 
Gaul, nor put them under tribute except to 
supply the food needed to provision our army,” 
maintained Titus. 

“ No,” continued Julius, “ but you can un¬ 
derstand how they fear us and our growing 
power.” 

“ Surely,” said Titus. “ But it would be for 
their advantage to make friends with us and 
become our allies.” 

“ Their chieftains evidently do not think so,” 
replied Julius, “for I understand that Csesar 
has learned from the friendly Gauls that the 
Belgian confederacy is threatening serious 
trouble.” 

“ How many people make up these tribes? ” 
asked Titus. 

“ I do not know exactly,” answered his com- 


16 ON LAND AND SEA WITH CAESAR 


panion, “ but I understand they can muster 
nearly three hundred thousand fighting men 
if they all get together.” 

“ Well, we have learned, under Caesar’s 
leadership, not to fear numbers against us,” 
continued Titus, “ but it looks to me like quite 
a job for our small army. Think of having to 
fight against four or five times our number! ” 

The boys might indeed wonder what the task 
ahead would be, for the force under Caesar’s 
command in Gaul was not over sixty thousand, 
including the Gallie auxiliaries who were with 
his legionary soldiers. With six legions, dur¬ 
ing the previous summer, 58 b. c., Caesar had 
met and conquered the Helvetians and the 
Germans. During the winter, two new legions, 
the thirteenth and fourteenth, had been raised 
and trained in Italy and sent over the moun¬ 
tain passes into Gaul, making a force of eight 
legions of heavy infantry, some forty thousand 
men, a quarter of them green troops. 

In addition, he had some thirteen thousand 
auxiliary light-armed troops, Cretan archers 
and slingers, a force of Numidians, some Gallic 
infantry under Divitiacus, an iEduan chief, 
and five thousand Gallic cavalry, which were 


WITH THE EAGLES AGAIN 17 

useful in scouting, but of no great service in 
battle. 

“ I can guess what Caesar will do,” suddenly 
exclaimed Titus, after the boys had ridden 
along some distance in silence. 

“ What? ” asked Julius. 

“ Why, strike quickly, before the enemy has 
had time to gather,” was the answer. 

“ Right you are,” declared Julius. ‘‘ That 
is Caesar’s way. And come to think of it, we 
have been making some good distances on our 
marches the last few days. Here we are al¬ 
ready at the winter quarters. We probably 
shall not have many days to visit our friends 
in camp before we march again.” 

Caesar halted the body of men who were 
making the journey with him when the river’s 
edge had been reached, and sent a messenger 
ahead to the Roman camp. Just beyond the 
river was the town of Vesontio, one of the im¬ 
portant towns of Central Gaul, where the 
Roman army had been stationed for the win¬ 
ter, after using it as a base of action the previ¬ 
ous summer. It was centrally located, so 
that a move might be made easily in any direc¬ 
tion. 


18 ON LAND AND SEA WITH CAESAR 


The halt for rest beside the river was not 
long. Caesar, with his staff and the mounted 
troops which accompanied him as his body¬ 
guard, moved through the town and towards 
the camp. 

Beyond the town walls lay an open, level 
field on which the Roman troops could drill, 
and beyond that, on rising ground, where it 
could be defended easily in case of an attack, 
was located the fortified camp. The parade 
ground was in full view as one passed through 
the gate of the town. 

Through the gate rode the Roman general 
at the head of his men and as they passed be¬ 
yond the walls, there on the parade ground 
was drawn up the whole Roman army to wel¬ 
come its commander. 

“ Look! The legions,” whispered Julius, as 
by the side of his cousin Titus he rode forward 
to join their fellow soldiers. 

“What a magnificent sight!” exclaimed 
Titus. “ See, they are in full battle array! ” 

The legionaries were indeed in ordered ranks 
in battle formation and with all their fighting 
equipment. The afternoon sun flashed back 
from the metal bosses of their shields and from 


WITH THE EAGLES AGAIN 


19 


the sharp-pointed javelins they held. The 
waving plumes on the helmets fluttered in the ^ 
breeze. The standards of the legions were in 
their appointed places, proudly held by the 
standard-bearers so that the returning general 
might notice each unit of his command as he 
rode by in the review of his troops. 

The serried ranks of the legions were an im¬ 
pressive sight. Stretching out in a seemingly 
endless line, the battle front extended for over 
a mile, one legion next to another, without a 
gap between. 

Down the long line rode the Roman gen¬ 
eral, cheered by each cohort as he passed it. 
Last of all in the battle formation, at the ex¬ 
treme right of the line, stood the tenth legion, 
Caesar’s favorite, commanded by his faithful 
lieutenant, Titus Labienus. The cheers as the 
general approached rang louder from the 
tenth legion than from any of the others, for 
it was this unit of the army that Caesar liked to 
take command of in person and lead into battle. 

The veterans in its ranks had fought in 
strenuous campaigns. They were proud of the 
record they had made, prouder still of their 
dashing commander, who never failed to put 


20 ON LAND AND SEA WITH CJESAR 


the tenth where danger threatened most, nor 
failed to lead in person with it if there was stiff 
opposition to overcome. The men showed it 
in their bearing, showed pride and confidence 
at once. 

The men of the tenth legion knew full well 
they were the pick of the army. They knew 
they held their position of the first in the line 
and first in their general’s estimation because 
of a past record of valor, and they were deter¬ 
mined to maintain their leading place among 
their fellow soldiers in any work the next cam¬ 
paign might bring. The spirit showed itself 
in the cheering with which they welcomed 
Csesar on his return. The spirit seemed to 
show, if such a thing be possible, in the 
standards of the legion. 

The eagles of the tenth were no different 
from those of the other legions in the long line 
past which Csesar had ridden to the cheers of 
his proud and confident soldiers, except that 
the white banner that fluttered from the cross¬ 
bar of the standard, surmounted by the silver 
eagle, was marked with the numeral X, while 
others bore a VII, a XII, or whatever might 
be the number of the unit, the legion corre- 


WITH THE EAGLES AGAIN 


21 


spending somewhat in its numbers and ar¬ 
rangement to a modern regiment of infantry. 

Yet somehow the pride and confidence that 
animated the men in the ranks appeared to be 
imparted to the inanimate standard. So at 
least it seemed to Titus and Julius as they 
rode behind the general with the rest of his 
bodyguard. Perhaps it was because the firmly- 
held standard, the proudly-waving banner, the 
shining eagle at the top, all showed, if they 
could not feel, the spirit of the man who held 
the standard. 

The general and his escort rode on beside 
the ranks of the cheering soldiers of the tenth 
legion until it could be clearly seen that the 
standard, near the center of the line, was held 
by a grizzled veteran of many campaigns. 

Julius could not restrain himself. Pointing 
to the veteran standard-bearer, he whispered 
excitedly, “ Look, Titus! There is Gametius.” 

“ Yes, yes, I see,” said Titus, equally ex¬ 
cited. “ How proudly and confidently he holds 
the standard. Our old friend Gametius will 
lead the whole army this year.” 

“ And we shall be well led,” declared Julius. 


CHAPTER II 


A REUNION 

“ Come on, Titus, let’s go and find our old 
comrades,” said Julius. 

“ All right. I’m ready,” his cousin replied. 

The parade was over, the troops had re¬ 
turned to camp, and Ceesar and his bodyguard 
had established themselves at the general’s 
headquarters. Titus and Julius had disposed 
of their baggage and had been freed from fur¬ 
ther duties for the rest of the day. 

The cousins were anxious to see their old 
friends again, the soldier comrades from whom 
they had been separated during the winter. 
They hastened to the camp street occupied by 
the twelfth legion. 

“ Look, there’s Baculus,” said Titus, point¬ 
ing to an officer who stood beside the door of 
one of the huts the legionaries had wintered in. 

The centurion referred to, Publius Sextius 
Baculus, was a typical Roman officer, keen¬ 
eyed, erect, and with a soldierly bearing. The 

boys had been under his command when they 

22 


A REUNION 


23 


first entered the army, he serving at that time 
as the leader of their cohort. Because of his 
bravery in battle he had been promoted to the 
rank of first centurion of the legion, the chief 
position among all the subordinate officers. 

He was only a non-commissioned officer, as 
ranks go nowadays in modern armies, but in 
ancient Borne the first centurion of a legion 
had far more authority than a captain of the 
present day, to which office the rank of cen¬ 
turion in some degree corresponds. Only Ro¬ 
mans of noble birth could hold commissions, 
but the centurions had the full direction of the 
lesser units that made up a legion, serving un¬ 
der the tribunes and lieutenants. The first 
centurion was the chief subaltern of the whole 
body of five thousand, although each of the 
ten cohorts of each legion had its quota of cen¬ 
turions and sub-centurions. 

Recognizing his young soldiers as they ap¬ 
proached him. Centurion Baculus advanced to 
meet them, saying: 

“ Welcome to the ranks. I’m glad to see 
you again.” 

‘‘ We’re mighty glad to be back, sir,” said 
J ulius. 


24 ON LAND AND SEA WITH C^SAR 


“ Yes, indeed,” said Titus. “ The staff work 
we have been doing gets monotonous when you 
have been at it several months. It’s more fun 
with our comrades in the ranks. I don’t think 
Julius and I are cut out for a place at head¬ 
quarters.” 

“ What have the men been doing all win¬ 
ter? ” inquired Julius. 

“ Oh, nothing much,” replied the officer. 
“You would have found it just as monotonous 
if you had been here as you say you did where 
you were. We wintered here among a friendly 
people. There was nothing to do but carry 
on the routine drills and work like that. You’ll 
not complain of lack of action much longer, I 
think. Now that Csesar has come back to his 
army, I imagine we shall take the field again.” 

“ Where shall we two be placed now? ” Titus 
asked. “ Csesar has no further work for us 
with his staff and has sent us back among the 
legionaries. We get our orders from you, I 
suppose.” 

“ Where do you want to go? Your place 
before was in the tenth cohort, I believe.” 

“Yes, but-” Julius did not finish the 

sentence he had begun. 



A REUNION 


25 


“ But what? ” The officer was smiling 
faintly as if he anticipated the request that was 
to be made. 

“ But—but-” the boy continued. “ Why, 

you were our centurion then, sir. Now that 
you have been transferred to the first cohort we 
shall have to be under another officer, I fear. 
That’s what I mean.” 

“ Please, sir,” Titus broke in, can’t we be 
treated like new recruits now that we have 
come back to the eagles? We’ve been away so 
long it is just as if we had been taken into the 
army as new soldiers. Can’t you put us in 
your cohort, instead of the tenth? That is 
what Julius is trying to ask.” 

“ Why, perhaps I can,” replied the officer, 
rather pleased that the boys should want to 
be again under his direct command. ‘‘ It really 
will not make much difference what unit you 
are in. Yes, I’ll do it. You are assigned to 
the first cohort.” 

‘‘ Oh, thank you, sir,” said both boys in 
chorus. 

They were more fond of Baculus than of any 
other officer they knew, for he had taken a 
fancy to them when they had first joined the 



26 ON LAND AND SEA WITH CAESAR 

ranks the summer before as new recruits. He 
had not only been extremely kind to them, but 
had drilled them faithfully in their duties as 
soldiers and had watched over them with a 
fatherly interest. 

Baculus was one of the older officers of the 
legion, a veteran who had served many years 
in the army. Noted for his great strength and 
his personal bravery, he was also an officer who 
was ever watchful of the interests of his men, 
a strict disciplinarian, but a commander whom 
the men obeyed because they liked him well. 

He was not one to show partiality to any 
particular soldiers, but his fondness for Titus 
and Julius was well-known in the ranks. It 
did not cause any jealousy among their fellow 
legionaries, for the boys had made good as 
soldiers and were well liked by all their asso¬ 
ciates. 

The bond between the centurion and the 
youngest members of the twelfth legion had 
another tie to strengthen it, in addition to the 
mutual admiration that existed. Julius, in the 
stress of a hard-fought fight, had saved Bacu¬ 
lus’ life when he was pressed by enemies who 
almost proved a match for him. 


A REUNION 


27 


So the transfer of the young soldiers from 
their own cohort caused no very great surprise 
in the ranks, and they were welcomed by the 
men of the first cohort as readily as if it had 
been their own unit that they rejoined. 

It did not take the boys long to place their 
few belongings in new quarters, for almost all 
they had with them was the military equipment 
that all the legionaries must have wherever 
they went. Before the first evening had passed 
after their arrival in camp, Titus and Julius 
were as much at home as if they, too, had spent 
the winter at Vesontio. 

“We have not seen Gametius yet,” re¬ 
marked Titus after supper. 

“ No. Let’s go right over to the quarters 
of the tenth legion,” said Julius. 

Gametius, another friend and close associ¬ 
ate of the boys during their first season’s cam¬ 
paign, was, like Baculus, an older man than 
most of the common soldiers. He had been the 
drill-master for the new recruits, and between 
him and Titus and Julius there had sprung up 
a close intimacy, even closer than that between 
them and Baculus, for in this case there was 
no difference in rank to make a barrier. 


28 ON LAND AND SEA WITH CAESAR 


Gametius, standard-bearer of the tenth le¬ 
gion, had also been shifted from one unit to 
another. Serving with the boys in the twelfth 
legion in last summer’s campaign against the 
Helvetians and Germans, he had distinguished 
himself in battle, and as a reward Csesar had 
chosen him to carry the eagle of the com¬ 
mander’s favorite legion, the one that all the 
soldiers in Gaul looked to as the foremost in 
bravery. 

“ Hi, Gametius,” exclaimed Julius. ‘‘ Don’t 
you know your old friends? We passed by 
you this afternoon in the parade, almost close 
enough to speak to you and you never noticed 
us at all.” 

“ No, you never moved an eyelash,” asserted 
Titus. “ There you stood like a statue, hold¬ 
ing the standard firmly and never moving your 
head or your eyes, even when Cseser himself 
passed.” 

“ But I saw my general, just the same,” re¬ 
plied the veteran, “ and I’m glad to see my 
boys again. How are you? ” 

He grasped their hands. 

“ Fine,” they exclaimed together. ‘‘ Now 
tell us about yourself.” 


A REUNION 


29 


The three sat down and had an hour’s chat. 
From Gametius the boys learned all that had 
happened in the winter camp. He listened 
with interest Avhile they told him of their ex¬ 
periences in Northern Italy while they had 
been away. They had visited their homes, and 
with the tales of arduous campaigns they could 
recount, they had made a great impression in 
the quiet country village where they were born. 

The first few days in camp passed quietly 
and pleasantly. Titus and Julius sought out 
all their particular friends among the legion¬ 
aries and visited with them, not forgetting the 
trader Sceeva, with whom they had struck up a 
friendship in the former campaign and with 
whom they had experienced an exciting ad¬ 
venture. 

Scseva was one of the numerous tradesmen 
who accompanied the Roman army on its 
marches. He kept a stock of goods to sell to 
the soldiers and also bartered with the natives 
of the regions visited. 

The traders, indeed, were as much a part of 
the army as the numerous other camp-fol¬ 
lowers, the officers’ servants, and the drivers 
of the pack-trains, who did not bear arms but 


30 ON LAND AND SEA WITH C^SAR 

were always with the legionaries wherever they * 
went, sharing all the hardships of forced 
marches, experiencing the dangers of battle, 
and in general making themselves a part and 
parcel of the army. The traders were in busi¬ 
ness on their own account and did not draw 
pay as the legionaries did. 


/ 



Caesar’s Routes in Gaul and Britain, 58-51 B.C 












CHAPTER III 


MARCHING NORTH 

It was a bright May morning when the 
army began its northward march. The legions 
were well provisioned for a long campaign, an 
extra large baggage train accompanying the 
expedition. The column pushed steadily 
northward, day after day, following at first a 
route that was familiar to most of the soldiers, 
for all of them except the members of the two 
new legions had marched over it the previous 
fall in their campaign against the German 
king, Ariovistus. 

But instead of turning towards the River 
Rhine, the column was headed in the direction 
of the northern seacoast, following a well- 
marked Gallic road, a main artery of trade 
through the region. The route was easy, and 
good progress was made, one hundred and 
forty-five miles the first fifteen days. 

The territories of the Gallic tribes which 

had made treaties with the Romans were 

quickly passed, and the army came among the 

31 


32 ON LAND AND SEA WITH CJESAR 


Remi, the most southerly tribe of the Belgian 
confederacy. 

So quickly had Caesar’s army left its winter 
camp and so soon had it pushed into the en¬ 
emy’s country that the Remi were taken by 
surprise. They had not raised an army and 
had not fully decided to join the union of 
northern tribes to make war on the Romans, 
although familiar with the plan and sympa¬ 
thetic with the object for which it was being 
made. 

However, when Caesar’s army, with its force 
of Gallic cavalry and other allied native troops, 
appeared unexpectedly in their midst, they 
were afraid to wage war and sent ambassadors 
to make terms with Caesar, offering to submit 
to the Roman authority. 

The legions had camped near one of the 
principal towns of the Remi to get rest after 
the long fifteen-day march. The soldiers were 
allowed to mingle freely with the people of the 
country and learn what they could of the plans 
of the hostile tribes. 

At noon one day a group of mounted men 
approached the main gate of the Roman camp. 
Titus and Julius were strolling near the gate 


MARCHING NORTH 


38 


as the party approached. The centurion on 
duty at the gate summoned Titus to him, after 
talking with the visitors. 

“ Go tell Caesar,” he said, “ that an embassy 
has come from the Remi. Two of their prin¬ 
cipal chiefs, Antebrogius and Iccius, wish to 
consult him.” 

Titus saluted and hastened to Caesar’s tent, 
accompanied by Julius. 

“ I must see the general,” said Titus to the 
legionary on guard before the tent. 

“ On what errand? ” inquired the soldier. 

“ A message from the Remi,” replied the 
boy. “Ambassadors have come to see him, two 
of the principal men of the state; Iccius and 
Antebrogius, their names are.” 

“ I will see them at once, here at my head¬ 
quarters,” said Cassar, suddenly stepping from 
his tent. Then, recognizing his young soldiers, 
he continued: 

“ You, Titus, deliver my message and con¬ 
duct the Remian ambassadors here. You, 
Julius, get your tablets and your stylus and 
come here at once. I wish you to take as full 
notes as you can of the conversation I have 
with them. Set down particularly the num- 


34 ON LAND AND SEA WITH CiESAR 

bars of the enemy tribes as I ask them ques¬ 
tions about the strength of the forces against 
us.” 

The boys saluted and withdrew. Julius, de¬ 
lighted with the prospect of being present at 
the interview between his general and the high 
dignitaries of the Belgian state, ran to his tent 
to get his writing materials. 

“ Don’t I have the luck,” he exclaimed to 
his tent-mate as he burst in upon him. “ Csesar 
wants me back at his headquarters for duty 
again.” 

“ I thought you were sick of that job once 
and wanted to be back in the ranks with the 
rest of us,” said the man. 

“ So I was when it was just the routine work 
of correspondence and getting out the orders 
and stuff like that, but this is different.” 

“ What’s up now? ” The legionary was be¬ 
ginning to take more interest when he saw how 
excited his young companion was, although he 
could not make out what it was all about. 

He was not to know just then, for Julius 
rushed off as soon as he had found his supplies, 
not waiting to make any explanation of his 
new assignment. 


MARCHING NORTH 


35 


The boy had, indeed, grown weary of the 
routine of the headquarters work while he had 
been attached to Ceesar’s staff during the win¬ 
ter and spring and was glad to get back to 
his cohort when the spring campaign opened 
and to perform the daily tasks of the legionary 
in the ranks. 

But this was different. Here was a special 
task that promised a thrill of excitement—to 
be in at an important conference and perhaps 
learn important military secrets! He won¬ 
dered, as he hastened back to his chief, why he 
had had this work so suddenly assigned to him. 

“ Perhaps there were no other secretaries 
around,” he thought, “ but I don’t care what 
the reason is. I’m in luck, anyway.” 

He found himself at Cgesar’s tent again al¬ 
most before he knew it. The ambassadors and 
their escort arrived at once and were cere¬ 
moniously received by Cgesar outside his tent. 
The greetings over, the Roman general gave 
orders that a guard should be stationed about 
at some distance from the conference tent and 
taking with him only Julius, the two ambassa¬ 
dors and an interpreter, he bade them enter 
and be seated. 



36 ON LAND AND SEA WITH CAESAR 


Say to them,” he directed the interpreter, 
‘‘ that this interview shall be as private as they 
desire. They may speak freely. I have with 
me only a member of my headquarters staff, 
this young soldier, who will take notes of the 
parts of our conversation of which I wish to 
have a written record.” 

He graciously extended his greetings to Ic- 
cius and Antebrogius, telling them that his 
mission was one of peaceable and friendly 
negotiation with all the tribes of Gaul and 
Belgium which would enter into friendly rela¬ 
tions with the Romans, but that he had been 
informed that certain Belgian tribes were rais¬ 
ing an army to drive him from the country. 
He wished to know the reason for this and to 
learn what forces were arming against him, 
their numbers and position. 

“ My people,” began Iccius, a stately chief¬ 
tain, whose bearing showed he was accustomed 
to rule and to receive homage, “ desire peace 
and friendship with you. We place our pos¬ 
sessions and our supplies at your disposal and 
desire your protection against our enemies. 
We have not taken up arms, as you can see, 
but all the other Belgian tribes are in arms, 


MARCHING NORTH 37 

and the Germans who live on this side of the 
Rhine have joined with them. We alone have 
remained unmoved by the general warlike 
spirit, but so great has the infatuation become 
that we cannot restrain our own kinsfolk, the 
Suessiones, from joining the confederation to 
make war on you, even though they enjoy the 
same rights and the same laws with us and 
have one government in common.” 

“ What states are now in arms,” inquired 
Ceesar, “ how powerful are they, and what can 
they do in war? ” 

Antebrogius answered that the Remi had 
been asked to join the general council among 
the Belgian tribes in planning for the war 
which they hoped would drive the Romans 
out of Gaul, so that he and his fellow ambas¬ 
sador knew the number of troops each nation 
had pledged. 

The Bellovaci, he said, were the most power¬ 
ful among them in valor, influence, and num¬ 
bers. They could muster 100,000 armed men, 
and had promised from that number 60,000 
picked troops, demanding for themselves the 
command of the whole war on account of their 
strength. 


38 ON LAND AND SEA WITH CJESAR 

“ Set all those numbers down carefully,” 
directed Caesar, in an aside to Julius. 

“ I wish my secretary to make careful record 
of the forces of the enemy as you give them,” 
he explained to the ambassadors through the 
interpreter. “ Now will you please go on? 
The information is of the greatest importance 
both to me and to you and your people. We 
are working in a common cause.” 

“ The Suessiones,” continued Antebrogius, 
“ are our nearest neighbors and they possess a 
very fertile and extensive country. Your ally, 
Divitiacus, the Ailduan, the most powerful 
man in all Gaul, was once their king. Galba 
now rules over them and has in his hands the 
government of a large part of this region, as 
well as of part of Britain. He has had the 
direction of the whole war conferred upon him 
by the consent of all, because of his integrity 
and prudence. The Suessiones have twelve 
toAvns. They have promised to send 50,000 
fighting men. 

“ Next come the Nervii, who have promised 
another 50,000 men. They are reckoned the 
most warlike of all the Belgian tribes. They 
are situated at the greatest distance from where 


MARCHING NORTH 


39 


we are now, and no conqueror has ever pene¬ 
trated their country.” 

“ Are there others in the league? ” asked 
Csesar. 

“ Yes,” went on Iccius, taking up the tale 
Antebrogius had begun, “ the Atrebates have 
promised 15,000 men, the Ambiani 10,000, the 
Morini 25,000, the Menapii 9,000, the Caleti 
10,000, the Velocasses and Veromandui to¬ 
gether another 10,000, the Aduatuci 19,000, 
and the tribes that are called by the common 
name of Germans 40,000.” 

Inquiring still further about the Germans, 
Csesar learned that those the ambassadors 
spoke of were tribes that had long been settled 
in the northern part of Gaul, that the Belgian 
nation was sprung from the Germans of early 
times, who had long ago crossed the Rhine, 
driving out the Gauls and inhabiting their fer¬ 
tile territory, that these Belgians were the only 
ones who had been able to prevent themselves 
in turn from being driven out by the Teutones 
and Cimbri, when these fierce tribes overran 
the whole country, even threatening Rome it¬ 
self. 

The ambassadors of the Remi declared that. 


40 ON LAND AND SEA WITH CAESAR 


because of this record, the tribes composing 
the Belgian confederacy assumed to themselves 
great authority because of their bravery and 
were haughty in military matters, overlording 
the more peaceful tribes who welcomed the ad¬ 
vance of Roman civilization. 

Csesar thanked the ambassadors for their in¬ 
formation and assured them of his protection. 
He asked that the whole senate of the Remi 
should meet him in conference at as early a 
date as it could be assembled and that as hos¬ 
tages, for a pledge of good faith, the children 
of the chief men of the nation should be 
brought to him. 

To this the ambassadors agreed. They took 
their leave with mutual pledges of good will. 

Julius looked up from the notes he had taken 
with amazement as the men left the tent and 
he and Csesar were alone together. 

“ Do you know how many men their army 
will have? ” he asked in an awed tone. 

“ Have you added up the total? ’’ inquired 
the Roman general. 

“ Yes, sir, it makes nearly 300,000 men, 
296,000 to be exact, that have been promised 
by the different tribes.” 


MARCHING NORTH 


41 


“And our forces number how many?” 
queried Caesar. 

“ About 60,000, if we count all our aux¬ 
iliaries. Of Roman legionaries we have less 
than 40,000.” Julius’ face looked blank. The 
overwhelming odds against the Romans had 
never appealed to him with such force as they 
did now, when he had just tabulated the en¬ 
emy’s strength himself. He looked at his chief. 

Caesar’s face betrayed not the slightest anx¬ 
iety. He reached quietly for the notes the boy 
had taken down and put them away for refer¬ 
ence, not even glancing over them. 

Julius stood by the tent-flap. “ Shall I go 
now? ” he inquired. 

“No, I may need your advice. You see the 
problem before us as well as I do. What shall 
we do against this great army? ” 

“What!” faltered the young soldier, in 
amazement. “ You ask me what to do? How 
can a soldier advise his leader? ” 

Csesar turned full on him and shot at him a 
flashing glance. “ The odds are five to one 
against us. We are, or soon shall be, in a hos¬ 
tile country, far from our base of supplies. 
Are you afraid to go on? ” 


42 ON LAND AND SEA WITH CAESAR 

“ No, sir,” said Julius, firmly and without 
hesitation. 

‘‘ Why not? ” 

“We have you to lead us.” 

Csesar smiled. “ Are my other soldiers as 
fearless and as loyal as you? ” 

“ You know they are, sir.” 

“ Good, we will go on,” continued the gen¬ 
eral. “ But you have not answered my first 
question. How shall I proceed against such a 
large force? ” 

Julius was silent. 

“ I mean what I say,” said Csesar. “ I am 
your leader. You soldiers must do the fight¬ 
ing. But you fight better because you can 
think for yourselves. What would you do if 
you were in my place now? Answer me.” 

Julius thought a moment and replied, “ Do 
we need to meet this whole great army at once? 
The Remi yielded because we came on them 
so quickly. They were not prepared to fight. 
I remember the ambassadors said each tribe 
had 'promised so many men. Are they all to¬ 
gether in one place yet? ” 

“ Good,” said Csesar. “ You can use your 
wits. If the rest of my army can see as quickly 


MARCHING NORTH 


43 


the advantage we have by keeping the enemy 
divided and striking before he is ready, we 
shall have no trouble. Here is one legionary 
out of 40,000 who does not think 300,000 tribes¬ 
men too much for us. What do the other 
40,000 think? ” 

“ They will think the same as I do when you 
speak to them,’’ the boy replied. 

“ You may go now,” Csesar ordered. “ Find 
Divitiacus, the -^duan chief, and send him 
here at once.” 

Julius ran to carry out the order. 

The veteran leader of the Gauls was with 
Csesar in his tent for half an hour. The Roman 
general impressed upon him the necessity, for 
the common security of both the Romans and 
the Gauls, to keep the Belgian hosts divided 
and to strike quickly. 

Divitiacus was commissioned to lead his 
^duan forces at once on a ravaging expedi¬ 
tion into the country of the Bellovaci, taking 
with him such troops as the Remi were ready 
to put into action immediately. The first 
stroke of the campaign was to get the Remi 
fighting with their Roman allies and against 
their Belgian neighbors. 


44 ON LAND AND SEA WITH CAESAR 


The main part of the Roman army was not 
long inactive. Scouts brought in the news that 
a large force of Belgians had assembled and 
was advancing towards the Romans. Ceesar 
ordered an advance. His army moved across 
the River Marne and on the River Aisne. 
Here was a bridge across the stream. Caesar 
took possession of the bridge and threw up a 
strongly fortified camp on the north bank of 
the river. 

On the south bank, to protect the bridge and 
to keep communications open to the rear, he 
fortified another camp and placed a guard of 
six cohorts in it under one of his lieutenants, 
Sabinus. This smaller camp was protected by 
a rampart twelve feet high and a trench 
eighteen feet in breadth. 

The enemy was close at hand. 


CHAPTER ly 


SOME EASY VICTORIES 

The defensive position chosen by Csesar was 
a good one. The River Aisne protected a 
large part of the territory of his new allies, the 
Remi, and was a defense to the Roman line. 
The legionaries’ camp north of the river was 
on a hill, at the foot of which ran a brook 
through low, marshy ground, rendering diffi¬ 
cult an approach from two sides. The hill it¬ 
self rose some eighty feet above the river. Its 
slopes were of such a nature that the legions 
could easily be deployed in battle position on 
them, one end of the line resting on the camp 
fortifications. 

“ This is a strong position to hold,” com¬ 
mented Titus, as he and Julius took their posts 
on the camp walls to do guard duty. 

“ By the gods, you’re right,” asserted his 
companion. “ I’d just like to see the enemy 
try to dislodge us from this hill, even if they 

bring up their whole army.” 

46 


46 ON LAND AND SEA WITH C/ESAR 

“ Their army is on the way, I hear,” said 
Titus. “ Some scouts brought in word this 
afternoon that they had camped only about 
two miles away.” 

“ Hurrah, they'll be on us before long! ” said 
Julius, exultingly. 

“ Why are you so anxious to see them? ” 
asked Titus, more cautious by nature than his 
younger cousin. 

“ We’ll show them what is coming to them,” 
boasted Julius. 

The night had fallen when the boys again 
took their posts on the ramparts, after a re¬ 
lief period. 

“ You’ll have to keep a sharp lookout to¬ 
night,” cautioned the soldiers whose places on 
the sentry-beat they took when they returned 
to duty. 

“ Why is that? ” they asked. 

Look,” one legionary said, pointing to the 
northern horizon. ‘‘ Do you see those camp¬ 
fires? ” 

‘‘ Yes,” exclaimed Julius. “ They do show 
plainly, do they not? What a long line of 
them! ” 

Almost as far as the eye could see along the 


SOME EASY VICTORIES 


47 


horizon, the twinkling camp-fires could be 
made out. 

“We figure their camp stretches out at least 
eight miles,’’ continued the soldier. “ They are 
a host, all right. We shall have plenty of ac¬ 
tion soon.” 

The foe made no attack that night nor the 
next day, but both armies sent out scouting 
parties of cavalry, which met in several en¬ 
counters. In all of them the Roman forces 
were victorious. 

These skirmishes were followed by small in¬ 
fantry actions, as reconnoitering parties were 
sent out to feel out the ground between the 
two armies. A cohort or two at a time, the 
legionaries met parties of the enemy of about 
equal strength or greater, each time proving 
themselves superior to the Belgian foot-sol¬ 
diers. 

The ambition of the Roman soldiers, both 
legionaries and light-armed auxiliary troops, 
to meet the enemy in a pitched battle increased. 
The skirmishes that had taken place gave them 
confidence in their own individual superiority, 
and they lost any dread of the overwhelming 
advantage of numbers the barbarians had. 


48 ON LAND AND SEA WITH CAESAR 

The legionaries began to clamor to be led into 
battle. 

But Csesar proceeded cautiously, not wish- 

ing to put his soldiers to the test too quickly. 

♦ 

A defeat at this stage of the campaign might 
spell disaster. 

Experience had taught the Roman com¬ 
mander that he had nothing to lose in waiting 
for the enemy to make the attack, for his own 
well-drilled troops increased in steadiness as 
time wdnt on, while the tribes he was facing, 
if they behaved like the rest of the Gauls his 
army had met in previous campaigns, would 
lose some of their impetuous bravery if a com¬ 
bat did not take place soon. 

A quick onslaught was the usual method of 
making war these tribes employed. A pro¬ 
gressive, well-planned campaign was seldom 
part of their course of action. But either be¬ 
cause the huge bulk of their army made it un¬ 
wieldy, or because the leaders were divided in 
their counsels, no general assault was made by 
the Belgians for several days. 

The Roman general, restraining his eager 
troops, employed the time in still further 
strengthening his position. Between the camp 


SOME EASY VICTORIES 49 

walls and the brook on one side and the river 
on the other were gaps through which the 
enemy might penetrate and take the legions in 
the rear. These places were fortified with a 
wall and trench four hundred paces long, at 
right angles to the front of the camp. At the 
end of each wall a strong redoubt was built. 

“ Won’t this shoveling and fort-building 
ever stop? ” complained Titus to his centurion, 
Baculus, who was constantly with his men as 
they went about the task of fortifying that 
Csesar had ordered. 

“ You ought not to object,” said the officer, 
not unkindly. ‘‘ Is it any harder to keep off 
the enemy with a pile of dirt than it is with a 
shield? You have been in battle. Come, now, 
tell me truly. Would you really rather be 
part of a wall of men to hold back a barbarian 
rush than do a bit of shoveling to make our 
position secure? ” 

“ No, sir,” replied Titus, rather shame¬ 
facedly. “ I don’t mean to be a grumbler, but 
you see, sir, we are all anxious to get into action 
and show these Belgians what fighting is like.” 

“ You’re coming on as a soldier, all right, 
young man,” said Baculus, with a laugh. “ Be- 


50 ON LAND AND SEA WITH CJESAR 


fore the summer is over I can report that you 
are a seasoned veteran. A good soldier always 
has to growl just about so much, you know.” 

“ Keep him at it more, then,” said Julius, 
in great glee. “ Shoveling is fine exercise for 
Titus. He needs to have his back strengthened. 
He is always complaining it is weak. I love 
to hear him grumble. He’ll make a fine sol¬ 
dier in time, you say, Baculus. If grumbling 
at digging is any test, you ought to rank him 
high, already. You don’t hear him all the 
time.” 

“ Oh, keep still, will you? ” retorted Titus. 
“ Who is a worse grumbler than you, I want 
to know, if you don’t get all you want to eat 
every day? ” 

Baculus laughed heartily at his young sol¬ 
diers. “ I have learned another point about 
you now,” he said. “ If Titus gets unruly. I’ll 
put him at a job of shoveling. If Julius needs 
discipline. I’ll reduce his rations.” 

“ Tell me, sir,” continued Titus, “ what are 
some of the other marks of a good soldier? I 
guess we are a set of grumblers, all right, but 
we don’t grumble much when we get in a tight 
place, do we? ” 


SOME EASY VICTORIES 


51 


No, you do not/’ The veteran officer had 
become serious again. “ I’ve served with sev¬ 
eral legions, and you may tell any one you want 
that I say I never had a better one than this 
twelfth legion when it comes to real patience in 
difficulty. Maybe you boys think I drive you 
hard sometimes, but I tell you that you and 
your mates are worth it. You respond. I 
think it is the spirit Csesar is able to inspire 
in the soldiers under him, for I have served 
under some other generals where the lack of 
discipline made it hard for the officers, but 
somehow you men are always ready to do what 
is asked of you. We have not had a battle yet 
where the courage shown was not all any gen¬ 
eral could ask. We have not made a hard 

i 

march which the men did not go through with 
to the last ounce of their strength. You are 
coming to be a body of men remarkable for 
toughness, force, and adaptiveness, and above 
all you have a confidence in your leader that 
is most noteworthy. Those are some of the 
marks of a good soldier, if you want my opinion 
on the matter.” 

The officer walked away to chat with other 
legionaries. 


52 ON LAND AND SEA WITH CAESAR 


“ Do you know, Julius,” said Titus, look¬ 
ing after him, “ we are mighty lucky to have 
such a centurion as Baculus.” 

“ Indeed I do,” his cousin replied. “ They 
are not all like him. Tough, are we? We’ll 
show him. Give me my shovel.” 

The Belgians, unwilling to storm the strong 
fortifications, made practically invincible while 
they delayed a frontal assault, tried another 
method of attack on Caesar’s forces. Marching 
in small parties around the left of the Roman 
position, through thick woods that concealed 
their movements, they discovered a ford across 
the river. 

By this means they could get in the rear of 
the Romans, attack the small camp which 
guarded the bridge-head, and strike the legions 
from behind. The flanking movement was 
discovered by Titurius, commander at the 
bridge-head, who reported at once to Csesar. 
The general left his legions in camp, and tak¬ 
ing the cavalry and light-armed auxiliaries 
with him, hastened across the bridge. 

He arrived at the ford in the nick of time, 
for the enemy had begun to cross the river in 
considerable numbers. The light-armed troops 


SOME EASY VICTORIES 


53 


attacked them vigorously and repulsed them in 
the attempted fording of the river. The fight 
was soon over. 

News of this victory over the Belgians 
caused rejoicing in the Roman camp. The le¬ 
gionaries were more eager than ever for the 
great and decisive battle all felt must soon 
come. 

“What will we do to them!” exclaimed 
Julius, when he heard the news. “ They fled 
before a few of our auxiliaries. What chance 
will they have when they meet us? ” 

“ None at all,” declared Titus, full of the 
scorn of the enemy that all the Roman sol¬ 
diers were beginning to feel. “ I don’t believe 
they dare attack us, do they, Baculus? ” 

The centurion answered, “ Don’t be over¬ 
confident, boys. We may have fighting to do 
yet, and stiff fighting. Don’t get in the habit 
of underrating your opponents. It’s some¬ 
times fatal.” 

“ I don’t underrate the enemy, sir,” con¬ 
tinued Titus, “ but do you really suppose they 
will attack us in this stronghold? They tried 
to get around behind us and failed. Now what 
can they do? ” 


54 ON LAND AND SEA WITH C.ESAR 


“ I don’t know, I’m sure,” replied the officer. 
“ We must wait and see. Here’s a chance to 
show your patience. Perhaps we shall know 
to-morrow. I fancy that their forces must be 
somewhat demoralized with the long wait and 
the reverses they have met. That’s the way 
with barbarians. Ceesar knows them and 
knows how to deal with them. The campaign 
is going well enough. Don’t be too impatient.” 

“ It’s hard to wait,” said Julius, impul¬ 
sively. ‘‘ I long to get at them. Here we’ve 
waited more than a week and given them every 
chance to attack us if they dare. Let them 
come on to-morrow. We are ready.” 

The boys and their fellow soldiers did not 
have to wait until the next day to learn the 
plans of the enemy. About midnight that 
night, sounds of an unusual stir were heard 
from the Belgian camp. 

Titus and Julius hurried to the camp walls 
with the other soldiers to learn what the com¬ 
motion might mean. It soon became evident 
that the enemy was breaking camp and retir¬ 
ing. 

Lack of success had upset the Belgian tribes 
and they decided to quit the war. The news 


SOME EASY VICTORIES 55 

had come to them that the -dEduans under 
Divitiacus had begun to raid the territories of 
the Bellovaci. The Bellovaci decamped at 
once to protect their own homes. 

The other tribes feared what might befall 
their unprotected territories if they remained 
away on a long expedition and were eager to 
retire. Before they broke camp, the leaders of 
the various tribes agreed to assemble an army 
again to resist an attack if Csesar marched 
against any tribe belonging to the confederacy. 

Their retreat, begun under unfavorable cir¬ 
cumstances in the night time, became con¬ 
fusion. The movement to retire having been 
decided on and put into operation at once by 
some of the more restless, each tribe tried to 
be first to set out on the homeward march. 
The whole camp was in disorder, the sounds 
of shouting among the Belgians being carried 
plainly to the Romans on the clear night air. 

“ Why, it sounds like a regular rout,” said 
Julius. “ They are moving off, aren’t they? 
What else can they be doing? ” 

“ I think you’re right,” said Titus. “ Still, 
it may be only a ruse to draw us on. I hope 
we do not go out against them to-night. It 


56 ON LAND AND SEA WITH CiESAR 

would be bad business in the woods in the 
dark, especially if the retreat is only a trick to 
deceive us.” 

Caesar, fearing treachery, kept his troops in 
camp during the night, but in the morning it 
was learned that the enemy’s retreat was gen¬ 
uine and a pursuit was ordered shortly after 
dawn. The cavalry were sent after the retreat¬ 
ing columns, cutting down thousands of men 
without resistance. 

The twelfth legion and two others under the 
command of Lieutenant Titus Labienus were 
sent after the enemy to harass their rear. But 
the Belgians would not turn and fight. The 
pursuit was kept up till nightfall, when the 
legions returned to camp. 

The soldiers, worn out with a night of excite¬ 
ment and a full day’s marching, were glad to 
reach their quarters again and have a chance to 
rest. 

“ I’m too tired to sleep,” declared Julius, as 
he took off his armor. “ What a day! What 
butchery! They wouldn’t fight at all. Just 
let themselves be slaughtered like sheep. It’s 
terrible! ” 

“ It’s war,” said Titus. 


CHAPTER V 


A SET-BACK FOR THE LEGIONS 

Next morning the Roman army was astir 
early and was marched down the River Aisne 
to a town of the Suessiones called Noviodu- 
num. The place now bears the name of Sois- 
sons. The Suessiones had joined the con¬ 
federacy against the Romans and had put an 
army in the field, leaving their chief town with 
only a small garrison. By a forced march of 
twenty-eight miles the legions reached the town 
that afternoon. 

Preparations were quickly made for an as¬ 
sault. The legions were drawn up in columns 
on a narrow front. Before them rose the walls 
of the town, massive and high. At the top of 
the ramparts stood the few defenders of the 
town. 

“ There are not many of them, so far as I 
can see,” said Julius. 

“ No, not many men, to be sure,” replied 
Titus, “ but the wall is high. How shall we 
ever scale it? ” 


57 


58 ON LAND AND SEA WITH CAESAR 


“Perhaps the gate is not strong,” Julius 
answered. “We may be able to batter it down 
with a ram.” 

“But,” objected Titus, “we have no scal¬ 
ing-ladders with us nor any siege-engines. 
The place looks to me like a hard one to take 
by assault.” 

Baculus approached and ordered his cohort 
to the rear to cut timber. Tall forest trees 
were hastily felled, trimmed of their branches, 
and fashioned into battering-rams with which 
to make an attack upon the gate. The army 
engineers, called on to direct the work of 
preparation and skilful in making clever con¬ 
trivances with little to work with, had ready 
in short order also a supply of roughly built 
ladders. 

Three legions were marshaled in three 
separate columns to make the assault. One 
was drawn up in close order opposite the prin¬ 
cipal town gate, against which the battering- 
rams were to be hurled, flanked on either side 
by a supporting legion carrying the ladders 
which had been built. 

“ Ready, now, men,” ordered Baculus, has¬ 
tening about among the ranks of the twelfth 


A SET-BACK FOR THE LEGIONS 59 


legion. “ The attack will begin in a few mo¬ 
ments. Form a testudo with your shields. 
Close ranks.” 

The shields were raised above the legion¬ 
aries’ heads, overlapping one another to form 
a complete roof-like protection under which 
the men might advance against the walls. The 
testudo thus formed would give protection 
from missiles thrown from the walls. 

“ Your work is to get a footing on the walls 
close by that tower which guards the gate,” 
continued the centurion. “We must capture 
and hold the tower so that the tenth legion 
can work uninterruptedly with the rams at the 
gate. All three legions will move forward on 
the run together. Watch for the signal to 
charge. Then all together with a rush. The 
first man to scale the walls will have high 
honor. Ready now.” 

The assaulting columns had been quickly 
formed, but to the waiting men in the ranks 
it seemed an endless time. As the minutes 
passed, quickly enough in fact, but seeming to 
drag, the waiting men measured with their 
glances the distance they had to cross on the 
run to reach the walls. They measured the dis- 


60 ON LAND AND SEA WITH C^SAR 


tance to the top of the walls. Had the cal¬ 
culations been made correctly? Would the 
ladders reach the top? 

The minutes dragged on. A hush of ex¬ 
pectancy fell on all the soldiers. There was 
dead silence in the ranks. Each man could dis¬ 
tinctly feel his heart beat. It seemed to some 
as if these beats must make a noise their com¬ 
rades could hear. The waiting legionaries 
were tense with excitement. 

“ Why doesn’t the signal come? Why aren’t 
we ordered forward? ” whispered Julius. 

“ I don’t know. I can’t stand this much 
longer,” answered Titus, with a tremor in his 
voice, his nervous excitement showing more 
plainly than he realized until the words were 
out. 

Julius noticed it and felt relieved. His own 
legs were shaking. 

“ Why, you’re as scared as I am,” he burst 
out. “ I thought I was the only one.” 

His lips were numb and strange, but it was 
a relief to speak. His knees trembled and felt 
weak, although he made a great effort to hold 
them firm by bearing down with all his weight, 
digging his toes into the ground with all his 


A SET-BACK FOR THE LEGIONS 61 


might. No use; the young soldier’s whole body 
was trembling. 

“ Scared? By Jupiter, I am,” admitted 
Titus. “ I never was so frightened in my life. 
What’s the matter with us? Is it a panic? 
Are we going to break and run away? ” * 

“ It’s the excitement of this waiting to be¬ 
gin the action,” said a fellow-soldier, reassur¬ 
ingly, but in a voice that was a bit unsteady. 
“We are all alike. Hear the rattling of the 
shields as they rest on one another. The men 
can’t hold their arms still.” 

“Is it always like this when waiting to at¬ 
tack? ” asked Julius. “ I’ve never been in a 
position just like this before. I didn’t know 
what was the matter with me. I thought I had 
lost all my nerve.” 

“ It will come back,” promised his com¬ 
panion. “ I myself never went into battle yet 
without being scared nearly to death at the 
start, especially if there was any waiting. You 
forget all about the fear when the rush of 
action comes, but this suspense is certainly 
terrible. It gets me. I never can go through 
it without trembling.” 

Knowing that the speaker was one of the 


62 ON LAND AND SEA WITH CiESAR 

bravest of the legionaries in battle, Titus and 
Julius regained some of their self-control, al¬ 
though their hearts were beating wildly and 
their limbs shook in spite of every effort made 
to stand steadily in the position of attention. 

“ There. It’s coming now,” exclaimed 
Julius. “ Watch Baculus.” 

The centurion stood a short distance from 
the ranks, watching the higher officer from 
whom he was awaiting orders to be passed on 
to his own men. He raised his arm to have it 
ready to give the signal. 

“Forward!” he shouted, swinging his arm 
in a half-circle and pointing towards the wall. 
He raised his shield above his head and rushed 
into the place that had been left for him in 
the ranks of the testudo, at the head of the 
column. 

The men swept forward in a close-packed 
mass, yelling as they charged. Fear left them 
as they dashed into action. The assault was 
on. It was met by fierce cries from the be¬ 
sieged garrison, fierce cries and showers of 
stones and darts. The defenders were well- 
prepared. 

The three attacking columns quickly crossed 


A SET-BACK FOR THE LEGIONS 63 


the space that separated them from the foot 
of the wall. Down into the deep ditch before 
it the legionaries poured in massed formation 
and began to scale the walls. 

“ Hold that ladder firmly,” shouted Bacu- 
lus. “ Now, you, up it.” 

An agile legionary sprang upon the ladder, 
instantly followed by others, holding their 
shields above their heads. One fell back, 
pierced through by a dart. His body was 
dragged back under the protection of the 
shield-made testudo of his mates below. 

The topmost man had almost reached the 
parapet when the whole ladder was hurled 
backward by the defenders with forked sticks. 
Down it crashed upon the shields of the le¬ 
gionaries, the men who had been on it groan¬ 
ing with their hurts. Again the ladder was 
raised and again it was thrown back. 

“ Let me try,” cried Titus. 

Before he could climb upon the rounds, two 
quicker soldiers had made their way up ahead 
of him. Up they climbed, only to be hurled 
back again. 

“ Hurt, Titus? ” Julius helped him to his 
feet as he landed on the ground. 


64 ON LAND AND SEA WITH C.ESAR 


“ No,” snapped Titus, fiercely. “ Hold that 
ladder firm against the wall. Don’t let them 
• push it back. I’ll reach the top.” 

He rushed again to the foot of the ladder, 
but too late, for other eager legionaries were 
mounting it, only to be repulsed. 

The attack was going badly all along the 
line. The Suessiones from the waU began to 
taunt the Romans, encouraged themselves at 
the success of their defense. 

Angered at being held back by smaller num¬ 
bers, the legionaries pressed the attack with 
renewed vigor. Here and there along the wall, 
three or four of them succeeded in getting a 
foothold on the top, only to be cut down by 
the swords of the besieged. 

From their advantageous position on the 
high wall the defenders rained down a shower 
of missiles which wrought havoc among the at¬ 
tackers. The legionaries fell fast, killed or 
wounded, not only those who were trying to 
mount the ladders, but those who stood clus¬ 
tered in the ditch below. 

The tribunes in command of the twelfth le¬ 
gion gave orders to retreat, seeing the attack 
had failed. The Romans retired, sullenly. 



The whole ladder was hurled backward.—P a(/c 63 




A SET-BACK FOR THE LEGIONS 65 

baffled and beaten, angered by the taunting 
cries of the besieged. They withdrew out of 
range of the missiles, taking their dead and 
wounded with them. 

Repulsed in their attack on the tower and 
the section of the wall on the opposite side of 
the gate, the ninth legion also withdrew to re¬ 
form its broken ranks. The tenth legion, 
which had made a stubborn attack on the gate 
itself and had suffered heavy losses without be¬ 
ing able to force an entrance, could not keep 
up the assault unsupported. It also retired, 
its seldom-defeated men raging at the set-back 
they had received. 

Three more storming columns were formed 
from fresh legions and these were hurled 
against the town. But defeat met them, too. 

Night came and Csesar ordered his tired 
troops to camp. Exhausted with an all-day’s 
pursuit of the fleeing enemy the day before, by 
an all-day’s march of more than usual length 
and by the heroic, but unsuccessful efforts of 
the attack against the town, the legionaries 
sought the rest they badly needed. 

It was a tired, discouraged army. To be re¬ 
pulsed by a handful of defenders! That was 


66 ON LAND AND SEA WITH CiESAR 


a bitter pill to swallow for the seasoned sol¬ 
diers who had swept before them all other 
Gallic armies they had met. 

Caesar spent the whole evening going about 
among his downhearted centurions who had 
led the unsuccessful assault. 

“ Cheer up, Baculus,” he said. “ Your men 

* 

did all they could. You led them gallantly. I 
watched your work. One moment I thought 
your cohort had gained a footing on the walls. 
We were repulsed, but the fault is not yours.” 

“ The disgrace is, though,” replied Baculus, 
sadly. 

“No disgrace,” insisted the Roman general. 
“We must expect a reverse now and then. It 
is the hazard of war. Fortune does not always 
smile. She is a fickle goddess. You did your 
part nobly. I am proud of the twelfth legion.” 

“ Thank you, sir,” said the centurion, “ but 
we shall not forget this day. We have been 
defeated. That is all there is to it.” 

“ I’ll take all the blame,” his commander 
went on. “ The fault was mine. I should not 
have sent wearied troops against such strong 
fortifications without more preparation. You 
and your men did every bit you could. Take 


A SET-BACK FOR THE LEGIONS 67 


heart. We have learned a lesson. I shall bring 
up siege-engines. This town shall not escape 
us.’' 

While the legionaries slept, the army of the 
Suessiones, recovering from the panic of their 
hasty retreat when the Belgian army broke up, 
returned to their town. Creeping in by a side 
gate, under cover of the darkness, they rein¬ 
forced the small garrison with fresh troops. 


CHAPTER VI 


SIEGE OPERATIONS 

1 

“ This looks like a siege of some length,” 
remarked Titus. 

‘‘ Why so? ” inquired Julius. 

“See what a wide terrace we are building,” 
replied his companion. 

The boys were working in one of the vineae 
brought up to protect the workers from mis¬ 
siles thrown from the walls by the besieged, a 
sort of pent-house, roofed over for protection, 
but open at the ends, so that placed together 
in a row, end to end, they would make a cov¬ 
ered gallery through which the besiegers could 
bring up materials from the rear to build the 
terrace. The tops and sides of the vineae were 
covered with skins, so that they could not be 
set on fire easily. 

All the legionaries were put to work. The 

engineers who accompanied the army took 

charge of operations, driving the men to the 

limit. The terrace of logs and earth, wide at 

68 


SIEGE OPERATIONS 


69 


the base, as Titus had said, was rapidly built 
up till its height would eventually equal that 
of the town walls. 

“ Yes, it’s big enough,” assented Julius. 
“ It will be fifty feet or more wide at the top 
when we finish it. A storming party will have 
plenty of room to march along it.” 

“No more wall-scaling here, when we get 
ready to make the assault,” said Titus. 

“ Come, boys, get to work,” a centurion or¬ 
dered. “ Don’t take time to talk while you 
are on the terrace. You’ll be relieved before 
you get tired, and then you may talk all you 
want.” 

The boys turned to their work again. The 
task was not particularly dangerous, although 
there was always the risk that the enemy might 
make a sally from their fortifications to destroy 
the works that were being raised against the 
town. The legionaries kept their arms at hand 
while they worked, to be able to resist an attack. 

The auxiliary troops were entrusted with 
the duty of keeping the enemy busy. The 
bowmen and slingers maintained a steady fire, 
so that the enemy within the town might have 
to stay within the protection of their ramparts. 


70 ON LAND AND SEA WITH CAESAR 


Catapults and ballistse were set up in the rear 
of the Roman lines. These engines could 
throw heavy stones and great arrows to a con¬ 
siderable distance. 

So the legionaries worked under the fire of 
their own allies. Above their heads the stones 
thrown by the catapults flew into the defenses 
of the town. The stones were not heavy 
enough to batter down the walls, which were 
of immense thickness. If a breach was to be 
made in the walls, it would have to be done by 
special engines. 

However, the plan of attack was to build up 
a high terrace, so that the legionaries might 
approach the town on a level with its defenders 
on the top of their walls. Immense as the ter¬ 
race was, the building of it was accomplished 
so rapidly that the garrison of the town was 
astonished. 

High towers were also constructed by the 
Romans, which when the moment for the at¬ 
tack came could be pushed up to the walls, 
permitting the archers stationed on them to 
shoot down at the defenders of the town. 

The Suessiones, marveling at the com¬ 
pleteness of the preparations for the attack 


SIEGE OPERATIONS 


71 


upon them, took counsel. Evidently they 
would be unable to resist the next assault, when 
Ceesar’s forces were ready to make it. Such 
preparations! Such vast siege works and en¬ 
gines! What hope for their people? It would 
be better to surrender. 

A delegation was sent from the town to sue 
for peace. Cgesar received the envoys gra¬ 
ciously, and as their former friends, the Remi, 
now Csesar’s allies, pleaded for them, he made 
easy terms. The Suessiones were compelled to 
give up all their arms and to give him hostages, 
but would be allowed to retain their independ¬ 
ence, subject to his orders. They accepted the 
terms. 

ft 

Vast stores of arms were found in the town, 
all of which were destroyed. 

Another tribe had been subdued. Another 
link in the strong chain about the Roman army 
had been broken. First the Remi, then the 
Suessiones, had surrendered. Csesar’s soldiers 
were elated. The campaign was going well. 

No time was lost in moving against the Bel- 
lovaci, the next tribe to the north, considered 
one of the most dangerous of all those in the 
Belgian confederacy. The Roman army 


72 ON LAND AND SEA WITH CJESAR 


crossed the Aisne and marched against the 
chief town of the Bellovaci, Bratuspantium. 

No siege had to be commenced here. As 
soon as the Roman army drew near the place, 
a delegation of the old men came out to sue 
for peace, and when the walls of the town came 
in sight, the legionaries noticed that they were 
filled with women and boys, instead of soldiers, 
who made gestures of entreaty for mercy. 

Divitiacus, the ^duan chief, begged Csesar 
to spare these people, declaring that the pro¬ 
moters of the war had fled to Britain. Ceesar 
took the Bellovaci under his protection, requir¬ 
ing them to give as hostages six hundred chil¬ 
dren of the leading men of the nation, includ¬ 
ing two of the king’s sons. 

The Belgian confederacy was rapidly crum¬ 
bling. The neighboring tribe, the Ambiani, 
also surrendered without a fight. 

The end of July had come, but Caesar, not 
satisfied that he had yet fully subdued the 
country, pressed on in a northeasterly direc¬ 
tion. 

“ What tribe are we moving against now, 
Baculus? ” asked Titus. 

“ The Nervii.” 


SIEGE OPERATIONS 


73 


“Will they surrender, too, like all the others, 
do you think? ” 

“ Perhaps,” replied the centurion, “ but they 
are different from the other tribes, I under¬ 
stand. They rank as the bravest of all. They 
may stand and fight.” 

“ They are not alone, either,” said Julius, 
who had been listening. “ The report is that 
they have with them the Veromandui and the 
Atrebates. Three strong tribes. I guess we 
shall have our work cut out for us.” 

“ Very likely you are right,” Baculus went 
on. “ The Nervii have been taunting the other 
tribes with cowardice for making treaties with 
us. They themselves will have nothing to do 
with strangers. They want to keep apart from 
all other nations. They will not engage in 
commerce with any people except their own. 
They appear to want no intercourse at all.” 

“ They have had time enough to get ready,” 
said Titus. “ Have you heard anything about 
their preparations for war? ” 

“ Yes,” replied Baculus. “ They have aban¬ 
doned their towns, probably because they have 
seen how easily we have taken all other fortified 
places in this campaign. They have sent all 


74 ON LAND AND SEA WITH CJESAR 


the women and children to a place that is prac¬ 
tically inaccessible because of the marsh that 
surrounds it.” 

The Roman*army pushed on, and in three 
days’ march came to the River Sambre. From 
prisoners it was learned that the Belgian army 
lay not ten miles away, down the stream, wait¬ 
ing for the approach of the legions. 

Next day Caesar’s army broke camp at day¬ 
break and moved forward against tfie Nervii 
and the other Belgian tribes. 

“ The bravest of the brave, are they? ” Titus 
mused as he marched along. 

His wildest day-dreams could bring him no 
realization of the part he was to play in the 
coming contest. 


CHAPTER VII 



THE BRAVEST OF THE BRAVE 


The men of the twelfth legion laid down 
their packs and began to fortify a camp for 
the night. Their legion had been stationed at 
the right side of the camp, with the seventh 
legion to assist, while the eighth and eleventh 
had places assigned on the front wall, facing 
the river. On the left side were the ninth and 
tenth. 

Across the river could be seen some cavalry 
of the enemy deployed as skirmishers, and 
against these Caesar sent a detachment of the 
allied Gallic horsemen. Few of the legionaries 
were interested in watching the cavalry en¬ 
gagement, for such skirmishes with the Bel¬ 
gians were of almost daily occurrence. The 
Gallic horsemen did not attempt to push into 
the woods in which the enemy were located and 
which began some two hundred paces from the 
edge of the stream and reached to the top of 
the slope beyond. 


75 


76 ON LAND AND SEA WITH CJESAR 


“ Why don’t we have some legionaries out 
in front to-day to protect us while we work, 

I wonder,” said Titus. 

“I can’t say,” replied Julius, “but who 
cares? The more of us legionaries there are 
to make the fortifications, the sooner we shall 
finish the job. I guess the skirmish-line of 
cavalry can hold the enemy all right.” 

“ Possibly they can,” admitted Titus, “ for 
they do not seem to be very thick in front of 
us, just a body of scouts, no doubt. I wonder 
where the main body of the Belgian army can 
be.” 

The boys and all the other Roman soldiers 
were soon to know, for the Nervii and their 
allies, the Atrebates and the Veromandui, 
were close at hand in force. In the woods be¬ 
yond the river the whole army of the enemy 
was drawn up in battle line, concealed by the » 
thick forest, as was their camp farther up the 
hill. The scouts had failed to discover their 
presence. 

The Nerviian cavalry kept Caesar’s Gallic 
cavalry from penetrating into the woods, so 
that the Roman army had no inkling of the 
fact that close at hand was the whole Belgian 


THE BRAVEST OF THE BRAVE 77 

army, awaiting a prearranged signal to begin 
an attack. Csesar had depended on his allies 
to do the scouting, but they had not discovered 
the trap that was almost ready to close on 
them. 

The Nerviian chiefs had laid out a well- 
arranged plan of battle and were ready to 
strike the decisive blow. They had learned 
from their own scouts and from deserters from 
the Roman camp that Csesar’s army on its 
march was greatly impeded by its baggage- 
train. 

With that in mind, the enemy devised their 
scheme. If the leading legion could be at¬ 
tacked as soon as its baggage-train appeared, 
which in the customary marching order fol¬ 
lowed immediately behind the legion to which 
it was attached, the Roman foot-soldiers might 
be thrown into confusion and be cut down be¬ 
fore the next legion behind could get past the 
baggage-train and come to the assistance of 
the advance legion. The same plan was to be 
followed as each legion came up, each hindered 
by its baggage-train. 

Thus, Caesar’s forces were to be attacked 
piecemeal, without risking a general engage- 


78 ON LAND AND SEA WITH C^SAR 


merit for which the Roman general might have 
time to prepare. If the plan went well, his 
whole army might be routed and destroyed. 
The Nerviian hopes were high for the success 
of the scheme. They patiently waited in the 
woods for the signal to begin the battle, the 
appearance of the baggage-train. 

A thing that was unknown to them was that 
the baggage-trains of all the legions had been 
grouped in one train, with two legions left to 
guard it, while the main body of the legionaries 
moved on in advance. Six legions had come 
on the field instead of the one the enemy hoped 
to catch alone. 

Ignorant of the plan formed for their de¬ 
struction, ignorant, indeed, of the presence of 
the enemy in large numbers, the Roman sol¬ 
diers went about the task of fortifying the camp 
in care-free fashion. Some took shovels and 
dug the ditch and threw up the earthworks. 
Others wandered about in search of wood for 
the palisades, many getting far from the camp 
site. 

Strict orders from Csesar kept all the offi¬ 
cers at their posts with their men until the 
fortifications should be complete. On no ac- 


THE BRAVEST OF THE BRAVE 79 


count should they leave the men until this task 
was done. 

The camp walls were about half finished 
when the head of the baggage-train appeared. 
The watchful enemy saw the signal for whieh 
they had been waiting. Like an avalanehe they 
swept across the shallow river, brushing away 
like so mueh chaff the line of Gallie horsemen. 
Up the slope they dashed against the unarmed 
and unsuspeeting Romans. 

Sharp commands rang out from the Roman 
officers. The legionaries rushed for their 
shields and javelins, laid aside while the con¬ 
struction of the camp was in progress. The 
surprise was complete, but the diseipline of the 
Roman legions once more stood them in good 
stead. 

“ Fall in! Fall in!shouted the centurions. 

The men obeyed by instinet. No time was 
given to seek one’s regular position. The le¬ 
gionaries fell into ranks anywhere they might 
happen to be, about the standards that were 
hastily set in place. A cohort might have a 
hundred men or fifty—no matter, it was a 
fighting unit, ready for battle. 

“Where’s our cohort?” shouted Julius to 


80 ON LAND AND SEA WITH CAESAR 

Titus, picking up a shield, whether his own or 
not he did not know or care. 

‘‘ Fall in here! Form ranks! ’’ a centurion 
commanded. 

The boys obeyed. It was not their cohort. 
What odds? The formation was the same in 
all. The men about them took positions. The 
foe was close at hand and some sort of battle 
line must be formed at once. The legionaries 
had not even time to pull from the shields the 
covers that were used over them while on the 
march. 

All over the field the ranks were formed. 
The officers rushed about, straightening the 
irregular lines, filling up gaps, bringing some 
semblance of order out of the confusion. The 
trumpets were sounding the alarm. The le¬ 
gionaries who were caught far from camp ran 
back to find a place somewhere in the lines. 

In less than twenty minutes the army stood 
in order to receive the attack; not a moment 
too soon, for the enemy, already formed in 
battle order, wasted no time in forcing on the 
battle. 

The Roman camp-followers, servants, 
drivers, and tradesmen, took to their heels and 


THE BRAVEST OF THE BRAVE 81 


fled from the camp gates to the woods. The 
allied cavalry and light-armed troops were in a 
panic, and many of them fled with the camp- 
followers to spread the news in the rear that 
the Roman army had been surprised and anni¬ 
hilated. 

But the stout-hearted legionaries fell to with 
a will to resist the attack. The assault of the 
enemy was determined; the resistance they met 
was more so. 

On the left of the hastily formed line of bat¬ 
tle that surrounded three sides of the camp, 
the foe was repulsed. Out of breath with their 
rush through the woods, across the stream, and 
up the slope, the Atrebates could not gain the 
advantage in their attack, but were pushed 
back after some fierce fighting. The ninth and 
tenth legions, which met their onslaught, chased 
after them until the enemy’s camp was reached. 

The eighth and eleventh legions, in the cen¬ 
ter, held their positions and hurled their op¬ 
ponents, the Veromandui, back down the hill 
to the river, on the bank of which the battle 
was kept up. 

With the seventh and twelfth legions the 
conflict went worse. The success of the legions 


82 ON LAND AND SEA WITH C^SAR 


on their flank left their own position more ex¬ 
posed. While the battle was raging hottest 
there was no way for the soldiers to tell how 
it was going. Each legion had to fight for 
itself, with no chance to bring support to 
others, for no reserve, or supporting line, had 
been formed, so quickly had the attack been 
made. 

Meanwhile a large force of the redoubtable 
Nervii had forded the river, climbed the heights 
above the Roman camp and now fell fiercely on 
the two hard-pressed legions. 

The standards of the twelfth had been placed 
so closely together that the men were huddled 
in masses. There was scarcely room to use 
the sword to good effect. A rain of missiles 
fell upon the close-packed ranks, inflicting 
heavy losses. In some cohorts every officer 
was killed or wounded. Surrounded on three 
sides by the barbarian forces that outnumbered 
them six to one, the men of the twelfth legion 
fought on doggedly. 

In the confusion of the fighting, Titus and 
Julius became separated from each other as 
the ranks moved back and forth. Pausing for 
a rest after he had taken his turn in the fighting 


THE BRAVEST OF THE BRAVE 83 

in the front line, Titus took the opportunity to 
look about him. 

His legion and the seventh stood alone upon 
the hilltop by the camp. Below him, at the 
river bank, he could make out the lines of the 
eighth and eleventh, struggling to push back 
across the stream the barbarians who had at¬ 
tacked them. He pointed out the contest rag¬ 
ing there to a fellow-soldier who stood nearest 
to him. 

“ See! ” he said. “ I believe our troops are 
winning there in the center of the line.” 

The worse for us,” the man replied. 

‘‘ Why so? ” asked Titus. 

“ There’s no order to this battle,” answered 
the soldier. “ It’s every legion for itself. 
There are those two legions, that ought to be 
supporting us, gone off, leaving our flank ex¬ 
posed. The farther they go, the worse for us.” 

“ Sure enough,” admitted Titus, realizing 
for the first time how exposed their position 
was. “ But why can’t we drive our enemy 
down the hill, too? ” 

‘‘ Don’t ask me,” replied the legionary, 
savagely. “ I’ve fought for all I’m worth and 
so has every man I’ve been next to. These 


84 ON LAND AND SEA WITH C^SAR 


are the toughest barbarians I have ever met. 
They are more than a match for us, I fear.” 

“ No, don’t say that,” said Titus. “ To give 
up means our ruin. They will wipe us out if 
we don’t drive them back.” 

“ Yes, drive them back! Let me see you do 
it. You’ve had your chance in the front line, 
haven’t you? Did you make them yield? ” 

“ Not yet, but don’t give up,” pleaded Titus. 
“We shall drive them back. We must.” 

“ Not without help,” replied his fellow-sol¬ 
dier, wearily. “ We’ve done our best. I’ve 
fought till I can hardly stand, I am so tired. 
A few minutes more, half an hour, perhaps, 
and we are doomed. There are no supports, 
no reserves to send to our help. There is no 
plan to this battle. We’re lost, I tell you.” 

“ I don’t believe it,” stoutly maintained 
Titus. “ Wait till Caesar comes. The tide will 
turn.” 

But although the boy tried to put assurance 
in his voice, he failed to convince his com¬ 
panion, who threw himself wearily upon the 
ground, the picture of despair. 

Titus himself began to doubt the outcome 
of the struggle. His companion was right in 


THE BRAVEST OF THE BRAVE 85 


one way, there was no help in sight, no other 
legion to rush to the succor of the exhausted 
twelfth, not a cohort, even, anywhere to be 
seen which could be brought up to give the 
needed relief. 

His eyes swept over the field of battle. In 
front he saw the soldiers of his own legion, 
fighting on stubbornly against superior num¬ 
bers, fighting well, to be sure, but with less 
vigor than at first, as if they felt the hope¬ 
lessness of the situation. The enemy pressed 
on more eagerly than in the first rush of the 
attack. Sure of victory, they shouted their 
exultant battle-cry. The Roman battle-cries 
had ceased. 

The legion would not surrender, Titus knew, 
but how long could the men hold out? Man 
by man they were being cut down. Was the 
end to come within a half-hour, as his dis¬ 
couraged companion had predicted? 

The boy looked back to the half-finished 
camp. No help was there. Not a soldier 
manned its walls, not a camp-follower was in 
sight, for all had fled. 

He turned his eyes to the right. No help in 
that quarter, either, for the legions by the river 


86 ON LAND AND SEA WITH CJESAR 


bank quite clearly had all they could manage 
in giving battle to the forces of the enemy with 
which they were engaged. Not a cohort could 
be spared from their ranks for the aid of the 
doomed twelfth legion. 

But look! A horseman was galloping across 
the slope, headed in their direction, a messen¬ 
ger from the general, no doubt. 

“ Look! Look! ” Titus shouted excitedly to 
the man beside him. “ A messenger. Here 
come orders from our general.” 

The weary legionary sprang to his feet. 

“ That’s no messenger,” he said. “ It’s 
Cgesar himself. No other rides like that.” 

In a moment the commander was by their 
side. He reined his horse sharply, sprang 
from the saddle and snatched the shield from 
Titus’ hand. He spoke not a word. 

“ Give me yours.” Titus in turn snatched 
the older legionar^^’s shield and followed Ceesar. 

Through the ranks they pressed to the front. 

“ Come on, men, have at them! ” shouted 
Csesar. 

His words electrified his soldiers, his actions 
spurred them to redoubled efforts. Led on by 
the general himself, they fell upon the enemy 


THE BRAVEST OF THE BRAVE 87 


with fury again. The Roman battle-cry rang 
out. Weariness and despair were forgotten. 
Victory was in sight. 

Here and there about the battle front dashed 
Caesar, a common soldier’s shield before him, 
his own bright sword in his hand, wielded with 
a fury and a skill his men had never seen be¬ 
fore. The enemy drew back before his im¬ 
petuous onslaught. They did not know the 
fiery swordsman who had so suddenly ap¬ 
peared, but the Romans did. 

“ Caesar leads! Have at them! Victory!” 
they shouted, charging forward. 

“Fight, men, fight! Your lives depend 
upon it,” urged the general. “ Sweep them 
back!” 

From the left of the line to the center moved 
the Roman commander-in-chief, stopping here 
and there to plunge into the front rank fight¬ 
ing, setting an example to the men that was 
followed wherever he appeared. From the 
center to the right he swiftly made his way, 
followed at every step by Titus. 

On the extreme right wing the ranks had 
been almost broken. In the confusion of form¬ 
ing the battle line, a gap had been left be- 


88 ON LAND AND SEA WITH CJESAR 


tween the ranks of the twelfth legion and those 
of the seventh. Into this gap the foe had 
swarmed, charging with fury upon the ex¬ 
posed right flank of the twelfth. 

Here Ceesar paused a moment to glance 
about the fleld before he plunged into the 
fighting. His eye quickly took in the situa¬ 
tion. The slaughter of the legionaries had 
been terrific. Pressed together too closely to 
wield the sword to advantage, they stood hud¬ 
dled by the eagle-crowned standard, fighting 
manfully for the defense of the cherished eagle, 
but fighting a losing fight. To have its 
standard captured was an everlasting disgrace 
for a Roman legion. 

To make matters worse, close by the spot 
where the standard had been set up, the enemy 
had gained command of a small knoll upon 
which they had stationed bowmen and slingers, 
who were causing frightful losses among the 
legionaries with the missiles they shot over the 
heads of their own men and into the close- 
packed Roman ranks. All the centurions and 
sub-centurions had been shot, picked off by the 
merciless archers. The legionaries were with¬ 
out leadership. 


THE BRAVEST OF THE BRAVE 89 

“ Open ranks! ” shouted Ceesar, pressing his 
way through the throng of men. 

“ Open ranks!” shouted Titus, an inspira¬ 
tion seizing him. He left his general’s side 
and moved through the masses of men—hardly 
ranks at all, so great had become the confusion. 

Issuing the well-known commands he had 
learned to obey by long training, the youthful 
soldier shot out his orders in a firm and ring¬ 
ing tone. The men obeyed, not pausing to 
think from whom the commands came. Order 
emerged from disorder. 

Titus moved swiftly among the legionaries, 
gaining assurance as he found his commands 
obeyed. He saw that discipline was beginning 
to prevail. Ranks formed in half the cohort, 
he met Ceesar, who had brought the confused 
men of the other half of the cohort to ordered 
ranks. 

“ Well done, boy,” the general said. 

What next, sir? ” Titus asked. 

“ Lead a charge,” ordered Csesar. “ You 
see that knoll above, where the slingers and 
the archers of the enemy are? ” 

‘‘ Yes, sir.” 

“ Clear that height.” 



90 ON LAND AND SEA WITH CJSSAR 


“ Yes, sir.” Titus saluted. 

“ One moment, before you go. Take this.” 
The general stooped and picked up a cen¬ 
turion’s staff that had fallen from the grasp 
of a dead officer. “ Your badge of rank, Cole- 
nus. Now come, we will lead them on to¬ 
gether.” 

“Forward, men!” Titus ordered, waving 
his staff above his head. “ Push the enemy 
from that height above.” He pointed to it. 
“ Forward! Have at them! ” 

“Forward!” shouted Caesar, stepping into 
the front rank beside his young centurion. 


CHAPTER VIII 


^THE YOUNG CENTURION 

How it happened Titus never knew exactly 
from his own recollection. The story of the 
rest of the fight he learned from Julius’ lips. 

The young centurion opened his eyes. He 
lay still, a curious feeling of weakness holding 
all his limbs. What had happened? 

Above his head was a familiar sight, the 
roof of a tent. His own? It all seemed 
strange. What had happened? A slight 
sound reached his ears. Some one was in the 
tent. He turned his head and saw Julius. 

“ Julius,” he called in a weak voice. 

The other boy came quickly to his side. 

“ Oh, Titus, you’re awake! ” he exclaimed. 

“What has happened?” questioned Titus. 

“ You were wounded,” was the answer, “ but 
you’re a hero. It was splendid. All the men 
are talking about you.” 

“ What do you mean? I don’t remember.” 

Titus’ words came slowly. “ Oh, yes. The 

battle. Did we win? ” 

91 


92 ON LAND AND SEA WITH CAESAR 

“We did. You did. Oh, Titus, it was 
wonderful. The way you led the charge! 
That was the turning point of the battle. Say, 
but I’m proud of you.” 

He grasped his cousin’s hand and wrung it 
till he brought a groan of pain from the 
wounded boy. 

“ I’m sorry,” said Julius. “ I didn’t mean 
to hurt you. I forgot.” 

He bent down impetuously and kissed his 
cousin on the forehead. “ Go to sleep again. 
You’ll feel better by and by and then I’ll tell 
you all about it.” 

“ No, tell me now,” insisted Titus. “ I feel 
tired, awfully tired and weak, but I can listen 
to such news as that.” 

“ What was the last you remember about 
the battle? ” inquired Julius. 

“ Let me see,” replied Titus, slowly. “ We 
were surrounded. It looked hopeless. Then 
Caesar came. There was a charge, you say. 
Yes, I remember that. All was confusion. 
Something struck me, I suppose. I don’t re¬ 
member. Tell me, please.” 

“ I’ll tell you. Listen,” said Julius. “ Oh, 
it was glorious! You’re an officer now. Did 


THE YOUNG CENTURION 


93 


you know that? You won your promotion, 
right enough.” 

“An officer?” queried Titus. “How’s 
that? ” 

For answer, Julius fumbled in the baggage 
in a corner of the tent and brought out a blood¬ 
stained centurion’s staff. 

“ Look,” he said. “ Your badge of rank. 
You had it grasped tightly in your hand when 
we found you under a heap of dead Belgians. 
Caesar gave you the staff himself, I’m told, 
and commanded vou to clear some elevated 
ground the enemy held and where they had 
put archers and slingers who were mowing us 
down by hundreds. You led the men on. You 
drove the Nervii back, you and Caesar. He 
fought like a fiend, they say, on foot among 
the common soldiers. I didn’t see it myself, 
for I was in another part of the battle line. 
But somehow or other he got the disordered 
ranks of the twelfth and seventh legion 
straightened out—you and he. The men are 
simply wild about you. They say you acted 
like a veteran leader. There wasn’t a cen¬ 
turion around, for all of them had been killed 
or wounded. The first centurion of the twelfth. 



94 ON LAND AND SEA WITH CiESAR 


our old cohort leader, Baculus, was terribly 
wounded. He kept fighting on with wounds 
that would put most men out, fought until he 
fell.’’ 

“ Was he killed? ” inquired Titus. 

“ No, he’s coming on, all right, just as you 
are,” was his companion’s reply, ‘‘ but listen 
and don’t interrupt. I want to tell you about 
the battle. The legionaries had become almost 
panic-stricken and all the camp followers and 
the Gallic allies had fled. Our men were 
completely surrounded by the enemy and our 
camp was in their possession. It looked like a 
terrible disaster. But Ceesar got the two le¬ 
gions back to back, ours and the seventh, and 
then ordered you to charge. Think of it! You 
hadn’t been in the army but a year and you 
had been made an officer only a minute before, 
and then you were sent right up that hill in 
command of the men. My, what luck! Jove, 
I wonder if I’ll ever get a chance like that. 
I wonder if I’d make good in such a crisis. 
But you did. With a cohort or two follow¬ 
ing you, you captured the hill, put the enemy 
to flight, and turned the whole tide of battle 
right there.” 


THE YOUNG CENTURION 


95 


He paused a moment, then went on with 
his story. “ There isn’t a whole lot more to 
tell. Labienus came up with the tenth legion 
on the run. They had been successful on an¬ 
other part of the field against another tribe 
and they put the finishing touches on the Ner- 
vii, who so nearly routed our legion. It wasn’t 
such an easy job, at that. They are a brave 
lot, these Belgians, don’t know what fear is 
and don’t know when they’re beaten. They 
piled up their dead for breastworks and fought 
from behind them. They wouldn’t give up or 
run. We killed most of them, I guess. 
They’ll have to submit now.” 

“ Then we won the fight! ” exclaimed the 
wounded boy, whose eyes had glowed with 
pride as the tale of the conflict in which he had 
taken such a part was poured into his ears. 

“ Yes, indeed, we did,” replied Julius. “ The 
hardest fight our troops were ever in, I guess. 
The cost of the victory is terrible. I don’t 
know how many men we lost in all. Almost 
every one of us has a wounded comrade to 
attend to, as I am attending to you. I found 
you myself and brought you in. I thought 
you were dead and-” 



96 ON LAND AND SEA WITH CJESAR 


He stopped abruptly, for his young com¬ 
panion had closed his eyes again and was 
peacefully sleeping. 

For two days Titus lay weakly on his cot, 
tenderly nursed by Julius, but little by little 
he regained his strength and was able to walk 
about again. He and the other wounded men 
had time to recuperate, for there was no 
movement from the camp, which had been 
strongly fortified on Caesar’s orders. The 
Roman army was too much exhausted by the 
terrible struggle to take up the march again 
until the men had had a thorough rest and the 
wounded had become able to take their places 
in the ranks. 

From Julius’ lips Titus learned more of the 
battle and the events that followed it, how a 
delegation of the old men of the Nerviian na¬ 
tion had come to Caesar to sue for peace, tell¬ 
ing that of their six hundred senators only 
three had returned from the battle and that of 
60,000 men who had been engaged in it, only 
five hundred could now bear arms, how Caesar 
had been merciful in his terms because of the 
valor shown by the Belgians and how he had 
commanded neighboring tribes not to attack in 


THE YOUNG CENTURION 


97 


their present weakness those who had fought 
against him. 

The Aduatuci, another Belgian tribe, had 
been on the march to assist the Nervii against 
Caesar, but frightened at the reports of the 
battle by the River Sambre, they turned back 
and brought all their goods and people into 
one strongly fortified town, abandoning all 
their other towns. 

Against this town of the Aduatuci, which is 
believed to have been opposite the site of the 
present city of Namur, Caesar marched with 
seven legions as soon as his men were ready 
to take the field again. One legion, under 
Crassus, was detached from the rest of the 
army for scouting duty in the vicinity of the 
shores of the Atlantic Ocean. 

The town of the Aduatuci was strongly for¬ 
tified by nature. Around it on three sides 
rose high rocks and precipices that made ap¬ 
proach impossible. On one side only was 
there a gently sloping approach, this not over 
two hundred feet wide. The exposed side of 
the town had been fortified by a double wall 
of great height. As it was foolhardy to at¬ 
tempt an assault by troops on such a place, the 


98 ON LAND AND SEA WITH CAESAR 


Roman army camped before the town and 
Csesar ordered ramparts thrown up around it 
and began a siege. 

The fortifications thrown up by the Romans 
extended some fifteen miles in circumference, 
and their walls were built to a height of twelve 
feet. These operations were carried on with¬ 
out much hindrance from the besieged garri¬ 
son, for the sallies made by the Aduatuci from 
within the town were by small parties which 
were easily driven off by the armed legionaries 
who protected the working Roman forces. 
When the walls that penned them in had been 
completed, the enemy kept within their own 
defenses. 

At last the huge towers built by the Romans 
were completed and set in motion towards the 
walls of the town. The defenders on the town 
walls could scarcely believe their eyes when 
they saw the great machines move towards 
them, towering above their own high fortifica¬ 
tions. 

A hasty council was called and ambassadors 
were sent to Caesar to treat for peace, stating 
that the Romans must have divine aid in their 
undertakings, for without it they would never 


THE YOUNG CENTURION 99 

be able to move forward machines of such a 
height and at such speed, in order to come to 
close quarters to fight. Therefore, the ambas¬ 
sadors offered to surrender to Csesar if he 
would not deprive the people of their arms, 
because all their neighbors were unfriendly to 
them and if they were obliged to give up their 
weapons they could not defend themselves. 

Caesar replied that he would spare their 
people, not because they deserved it, but in 
accordance with his custom, before the batter¬ 
ing-rams should touch the walls. He insisted, 
however, that the arms should be given up, but 
promised that he would command their neigh¬ 
bors not to do them any injury after their 
surrender, as he had done in the case of the 
Nervii. 

The ambassadors returned to the town to 
consult their people, coming back to reply that 
they would yield to Caesar’s terms. Imme¬ 
diately, the beleaguered garrison commenced 
to throw their spears and shields from the walls 
of the town into heaps that reached nearly to 
the top of the wall. 

Then the gates were opened and the Roman 
legionaries entered the town under strict orders 


100 ON LAND AND SEA WITH C^SAR 


not to plunder nor to molest the people. At 
nightfall the Romans returned to their own 
camp. 

The Aduatuci acted treacherously and did 
not deliver up all their arms, concealing in 
their houses at least a third of their weapons 
and hastily making new wicker shields during 
the night. 

Towards morning, the enemy made a sud¬ 
den sally from the town with all their forces 
in a furious attack upon the Roman fortifica¬ 
tions. The legionaries were alert and had 
signal fires in readiness. These were lighted 
at the first alarm, quickly bringing reinforce¬ 
ments to the point of attack, the enemy being 
repulsed with great loss. 

After daylight, the battering-ram was 
brought up to break down the gates, the Ro- ' 
man soldiers entered and captured the town 
and sold the whole of it as spoil, taking 53,000 
prisoners, who were sold into slavery as a 
warning to the other tribes who might feel in¬ 
clined to resist the Roman conqueror. 

The month of September had come. In a 
short summer campaign Cgesar and his legions 
had subdued the powerful tribes of the Bel- 


THE YOUNG CENTURION 


101 


gian confederacy and spread the fear of the 
Roman troops through the northern part of 
Gaul. At the same time that final defeat was 
inflicted on the Aduatuci, Crassus returned to 
headquarters with the seventh legion to report 
to Csesar that his mission to the coast had been 
successful and that the maritime tribes along 
the Atlantic Ocean had submitted to the Ro¬ 
man power. 

Thus in two short and brilliant campaigns, 
in two successive years, all Gaul had been sub¬ 
dued and Csesar was free early in the fall to 
return to the provinces in Italy of which he 
was proconsul. His soldiers in Gaul learned 
later that on his return to Rome a thanksgiv¬ 
ing of fifteen days was decreed in honor of his 
victory, an unusually long period of celebra¬ 
tion. Well might the Roman people celebrate, 
for another rich and extensive province had 
been added to their dominion, never again to 
pass from their control until, centuries later, 
the Roman empire fell. The countries we now 
call France and Belgium had become part of 
the territory ruled by Rome. 

The main body of the Roman troops in Gaul 
was sent into winter quarters close to the scene 


102 ON LAND AND SEA WITH CAESAR 


of the summer campaign, so that the recently 
conquered tribes might not rebel. One legion, 
under Servius Galba, with a detachment of the 
Gallic cavalry to assist it, was ordered to go 
on a special mission to the Alps near Lake 
Geneva and the River Rhone. 

The passes through the mountains at this 
point were dangerous to travel because of the 
attacks on merchants who brought their goods 
through them. If this region could be restored 
to peace and order, all Gaul would be tranquil. 
New territories had been opened up to the 
growing commerce of the Roman people. 


CHAPTER IX 


IN THE PASSES OF THE ALPS 

“ Look, the mountains are covered with 
snow already,” remarked Julius, as the legion 
marched along the dusty highway. 

“ Of course they are,” said Titus. “ Some 
of the peaks have snow on them all the year 
around.” 

“ Tough climbing, if we have to scale them,” 
Julius continued. 

“ Oh, never fear, we won’t have to do that,” 
said his cousin. “ Our work is only in the 
passes. The roads are good enough, they say.” 

The twelfth legion was approaching the 
Alps, whose towering snow-capped summits 
were visible in the clear autumn air. With 
Servius Galba in command, it had been sent 
by Caesar on the special mission of opening up 
the Alpine passes leading to Lake Geneva, 
while the rest of the troops were quartered for 
the winter among the tribes on the north coast 
that the summer’s campaign had brought into 
submission. 


103 


104j on land and SEA WITH CiESAR 

The general, on his departure for Italy to 
spend the winter, ordered Galba to take a le¬ 
gion to the Alps to make safe for commerce 
one of the best roads through the mountains. 
This road ran from the valley of the Po in 
northern Italy to the Rhone valley in Gaul 
through passes that were easy to travel, but 
which were infested by marauding tribes which 
robbed travelers and merchants passing 
through, or subjected them to heavy payments 
if allowed to pass through unmolested. 

“ This expedition reminds me of our first 
passage through the Alps,” said Titus. “ Al¬ 
though we are traveling through a different 
part of the mountains, we shall have the same 
sort of native tribes to fight we did then.” 

“ Pshaw, they can’t cause much trouble, can 
they? ” inquired Julius. 

“ Probably not,” the young officer replied, 
‘‘ but their way of fighting is a nuisance. We 
shall have to chase small parties of the enemy 
and overcome them. These mountain natives 
never get together in large bands, but it takes 
more time to bring them to terms than it does 
a whole army which we can meet in one big 
battle.” 


IN THE PASSES OF THE ALPS 105 


“ Likely as not,” said Julius, “ you will have 
to command some of the skirmishes. If we get 
sent out in small detachments, you sub-cen¬ 
turions will be in charge of us when the higher- 
ranking centurions are not around.” 

“ I suppose I shall,” said Titus. “ It will 
be new work. I hope I shall know what to 
do.” 

“ Oh, you will be all right, I know,” his com¬ 
panion answered cheerfully. “ You can talk 
with Baculus to get pointers. He has been in 
every sort of fighting there is.” 

“ Yes, I have done that already. Baculus 
is fine about giving his time to instructing the 
young officers. He is a big help to all of us, 
and I am mighty glad he is our chief cen¬ 
turion.” 

The camp that night was pitched in the foot¬ 
hills of the Alps in the country of the Hel¬ 
vetians. The next day was a day of rest after 
several days of marching and, as Titus had 
predicted, Baculus gave instructions to the 
younger and less-experienced officers about 
the duties they might be called upon to per¬ 
form. 

Julius, his camp duties done, sought out his 


106 ON LAND AND SEA WITH CMSAR 

old friend, the trader Scseva, who had accom¬ 
panied the legion on the expedition to sell the 
soldiers supplies their army rations did not in¬ 
clude. 

“ Have you ever been in this part of the 
country before? ” he asked. 

“ Not enough to make me at all familiar 
with it,” answered the trader. “ I have been 
through the pass we are headed for once, but 
I never would go again.” 

“ Why not? ” 

“ It’s too dangerous. The robbers are every¬ 
where.” 

“ Yes, I know,” said Julius. “ That’s what 
our army has been sent here for, to clear out 
the marauding tribes.” 

“ An army,” sniffed Sceeva, in a contemp¬ 
tuous tone. “ Do you call one legion an 
army? ” 

“ Sure, it’s a big-enough force to do all we 
are sent to do, isn’t it? ” 

“ I’m not so certain of that.” 

“ Oh, you old croaker. Why didn’t you stay 
behind in the winter quarters of the other le¬ 
gions if you think we can’t protect you? ” 

“ I have to take a chance, the same as you 


IN THE PASSES OF THE ALPS 107 


soldiers do/’ replied the merchant. “ Besides, 
I may get back something of what is due me 
from the robbers.” 

“ Were you held up by them? ” 

“ Indeed I was. It is about five years ago 
now. I was with a fairly good-sized caravan, 
too, but they took all we had. We were lucky 
to get out alive.” 

“Tell me about it,” said Julius, 

“We had collected a lot of merchandise in 
Gaul and wanted to get to Italy to sell it as 
quickly as possible, so we chose this route, 
which is the shortest. We saw the chief of 
the Nantuates, one of the principal mountain 
tribes, and he guaranteed that we should be 
free from trouble if we paid him a big sum 
of money. There were ten of us merchants 
in the party, with a number of servants and 
our horses and carts and the drivers. Since 
the goods were valuable, we offered him a good 
big lump sum from all of us.” 

“ Perhaps you offered him too much and 
made him greedy for more,” suggested Julius. 

“ It may have been that. I don’t know. 
Anyway, we got through his country all right, 
but I can’t say whether or not he had informed 


108 ON LAND AND SEA WITH CJESAR 


the tribes farther on about us. We were way¬ 
laid when we were almost through the Alps 
and practically everything we had was taken 
from us. They even took our horses and we 
had to beg hard for permission to have left 
to us enough horses and carts to carry the 
men along. I thought they were going to 
make us complete our journey on foot.” 

“ Hard luck,” said Julius, sympathetically. 
“ I hope you get even. Are these tribes very 
savage? ” 

“ They are rough enough, you’ll see. But 
the ones I met did not offer any cruelty. We 
made no resistance, so they did not do us 
any violence, except to take our possessions 
away.” 

“ Why didn’t you fight? You had a nu¬ 
merous force, you say.” 

“ If we had, we should have been murdered 
to a man. Let me give you one piece of ad¬ 
vice. While we are in this country, don’t let 
yourself get separated from companions. 
These people like nothing better than to attack 
a single man.” 

The legion passed by Lake Geneva on its 
march and proceeded on into the mountain 


IN THE PASSES OF THE ALPS 109 


country. Victorious in several small com¬ 
bats, without loss to his men, Galba called the 
leaders of the neighboring tribes together and 
proposed terms of peace. 

To this the chiefs agreed, sending hostages 
to the Roman camp. 

In the town of Octodorus, which was cut 
into two parts by the River Rhone, the Romans 
prepared a camp to spend the winter. Across 
the river from this camp lay a camp occupied 
by the Gauls, not strongly fortified, but main¬ 
tained, nevertheless, as a military post. Galba 
had not thought it wise to ask for a surrender 
of arms on the part of the mountain tribes¬ 
men. He did, however, order the Gauls to 
vacate the portion of the town in which his 
camp was located. 

The winter season was fast approaching and 
it was necessary to lay in supplies of food. 
Accordingly, scouting parties were sent out 
into the country to procure wheat, which was 
grown on farms scattered about among the 
mountain valleys. An occasional small town 
had larger supplies that had been stored up. 
The fact that they were obliged to provision 
the Roman army during its winter occupancy 


t 


110 ON LAND AND SEA WITH CJESAR 


of the region aroused some resentment arnong 
the people. 

“ Take a force of fifty legionaries with you, 
Centurion Colenus,” ordered the first cen¬ 
turion, Baculus, “ and go to the next town up 
the valley beyond this town of Octodorus. A 
supply of wheat is there which has been prom¬ 
ised us, enough for ten cart-loads. Start at 
once and make haste, for it is a long journey 
and you should be back by nightfall.’’ 

Titus, pleased to receive his first commission 
to command a small expedition with no higher 
officer over him, selected his men with care, in¬ 
cluding Julius, of course, and started on the 
march. 

The trip to the town was uneventful and the 
supply of wheat was obtained without diffi¬ 
culty. The carts were loaded, and the band 
set out on its return journey shortly after 
midday. 

Titus led the advance, with about a quarter 
of his small force, while a rear-guard was set 
behind the provision-train and other legionaries 
were ordered to march beside the carts. No 
chances were taken of a surprise attack by 
hostile tribesmen. 


IN THE PASSES OF THE ALPS 111 


To the young officer’s dismay, he suddenly 
found the road completely blocked for the pas¬ 
sage of the carts as he came to a narrow part 
of the highway where it was hemmed in by 
steep slopes that enclosed a small ravine. A 
mass of earth and rocks had fallen down the 
hillside and filled the roadway. There was no 
way to pass around it. To get the carts over 
the obstruction seemed impossible. 

Titus halted his command and went forward 
to examine the obstruction. 

“ An avalanche,” declared a soldier with him, 
gazing at the mass of earth. 

“ The road is blocked, surely enough,” said 
the young centurion. “ I wonder, though, 
whether it was done by nature or by man. We 
have had no rain recently to loosen the earth.” 

“ They tell me avalanches are common in 
these mountains,” said the soldier. “ There 
are no men about here, are there? ” 

“We shall see,” said Titus. 

Fearing treachery on the part of the natives, 
although, as the soldier had said, no men were 
to be seen about, Titus decided to make an 
investigation of the situation and ordering his 
force to collect in one place to resist an attack. 


112 ON LAND AND SEA WITH C.ESAR 

he scaled the hillsides on both sides of the ravine 
with a few legionaries. No natives were seen. 

Hastening back to the road, he ordered the 
carts partly unloaded. Then with great diffi¬ 
culty, assisted by the soldiers, the horses were 
able to pull them over the rough pile of stones 
and earth brought down by the landslide. 

The bags of grain that had been taken off 
the carts were lugged across the obstruction 
on the backs of the men and placed on the 
carts again. The work was done as fast as 
possible, but more than an hour of precious 
time had been lost. The short afternoon was 
already far spent. 

“We must hasten on, men,” ordered Titus. 
“ Push the horses all you can. No halts at all, 
now, till we get in sight of the camp.” 

“ Do you think the landslide was natural? ” 
asked Julius. 

“ I do not know,” answered Titus. “ There 
is nothing to show what may have started it. 
But I have a feeling that there is treachery in 
this. We must be on the alert against an at¬ 
tack.” 

An hour’s hurried marching brought them 
to a place where the road crossed a brook. The 


IN THE PASSES OF THE ALPS 113 


bridge, solid in the morning when they passed 
over it, allowed the first cart to pass safely, 
but broke under the weight of the second, 
letting it down into the water. The vehicle 
overturned and the grain was ruined. 

An examination of the structure showed it 
had been tampered with. 

No great delay was caused by the accident, 
for the Roman soldiers were trained to turn 
their hands to anything and bridge-building 
was no new thing. The broken structure was 
quickly repaired, the loads passed over it and 
the legionaries marched on, more alert than 
ever and with growing anxiety. 

Titus ordered some of his men to march 
through the woods beside the road, keeping a 
sharp lookout for enemies, but no other human 
beings were seen except the band of soldiers. 

The road led again through a ravine like the 
one in which the landslide had been encoun¬ 
tered. On one side of the defile were thick 
woods, on the other a bare slope, gravelly and 
filled with great boulders. On the top of the 
slope were seen other boulders, apparently 
poised as if about to roll down. 

Suddenly they did begin to roll. Down 


114 ON LAND AND SEA WITH CJESAR 


upon the carts they crashed, breaking wheels 
and injuring horses. At the same moment 
came a shower of stones thrown by hand. 
Savage faces showed at the top of the slope 
and arrows began to fly, as well as stones. 

“ Leave the carts. Rally here to me,’’ 
shouted Titus. 

The legionaries formed quickly at his com¬ 
mand. How many men they had to face they 
could not see, for the foe suddenly slunk out 
of sight again behind the rocks. 

“ Leave your javelins here. This is sword 
work,” ordered the young officer. 

Titus led his men down the road till a place 
was found where they could scramble up the 
slope. Gaining the top, they fell upon the 
enemy, who put up a stubborn resistance, but 
were finally driven back. Titus dared not fol¬ 
low them into the woods, lest his men should 
become scattered. There might be hundreds 
of the enemy in the neighborhood. 

The attack disposed of and the nature of 
their hindrances being learned, it became neces¬ 
sary to hasten back to the shelter of the camp 
as soon as possible. It had begun to grow 
dark. 


IN THE PASSES OF THE ALPS 115 

Some of the carts had to be abandoned be¬ 
cause their wheels had been broken. The grain 
was loaded on others and the whole supply for 
which the expedition had been sent was taken 
along, with the exception of the one cartload 
that had fallen into the river when the bridge 
broke. 

No other ambush was laid for the party and 
no further obstruction was placed in their 
way. Titus led his weary soldiers into camp 
as the stars began to appear. He hastened to 
headquarters to report. That duty must not 
be delayed. 

Galba listened to the story of the day’s 
march and remarked, “ You have done well, 
niy boy. You showed good judgment and I 
am pleased that you brought back almost all 
the grain. How are your men? ” 

“We had only a few men slightly wounded 
in the skirmish, sir, and all could walk back to 
camp.” 

“ Well done,” commented Galba. “ You 
may go to your quarters.” 

Baculus, who had been present while Titus 
made his report to the commander, accom¬ 
panied the boy as he left the headquarters. 


116 ON LAND AND SEA WITH C^SAR 


“ Are you sure you brought back all the 
men? ” he asked. 

“ I thought so. Why? I did not see any 
legionaries fall and no one made a report of 
any being missing.’’ 

“ I counted as you came in the gate and 
made out only forty-nine. You set out with 
fifty men. Did you call the roll after the 
action? ” 

“No, I did not,” replied Titus. “ I should 
have done so, I know, but it was all confusion. 
We had to reload the carts and get on our way 
back to camp as quick as we could. I forgot 
to call the roll.” 

“ Let us go and quietly check up among the 
men,” advised the older officer. “ I have a 
list of the men detailed to go.” 

“ I’ll find Julius,” said Titus. “ Perhaps 
he’ll know if any are missing. By the way, I 
wonder where he is. I don’t remember having 
seen him since the fight on the hillside. Can 
it be-” 

He set out on a run. 

“ Julius! ” he called, bursting into the hut 
in which his cousin was quartered. “ Oh, 
Julius!” 



IN THE PASSES OF THE ALPS 117 


“ He is not here,” said a legionary. “ I have 
not seen him since he left this morning.” 

The man had not been on the expedition 
Titus had led. 

“ Call the cohort together,” suggested Bacu- 
lus. 

This was done and all the men answered to 
their names as the roll was called, but Julius 
was not with them. 

“ Has any one seen him? ” inquired Titus, 
frantically, of the men who had been with him 
during the day. “ Did he fall in the fight¬ 
ing? Who saw him last? ” 

“ I don’t know whether or not I saw him 
last,” spoke up a soldier who was a close chum 
of Julius. “We were together when we made 
our attack on the enemy. We both pushed 
on in pursuit into the woods a short distance. 
I came back when you ordered the pursuit to 
cease. I can’t say whether he fell or not. I 
don’t remember seeing him after that.” 

Titus dismissed his men and turned sadly to 
Baculus, sajdng, “What can we do? He is 
lost—killed, perhaps. Oh, why didn’t I call 
the roll before we took up the march again! 
What can we do? ” 



118 ON LAND AND SEA WITH CiESAR 

“ Nothing to-night/’ said Baculus, laying his 
hand on the shoulder of the young centurion, 
who had burst into tears. “ Calm yourself. 
He is only missing. We shall find him, never 
fear.” 

Find his dead body, you mean. Oh, Julius, 
Julius, dead and all through my fault! ” 

Titus burst into uncontrolled weeping. 


CHAPTER X 


CAPTURED BY THE ENEMY 

Julius felt a heavy kick in his side. The 
pain roused him to consciousness and he opened 
his eyes. 

“ One Roman dog is left us,” he heard a 
voice say in the Gallic tongue. ‘‘ We shall 
have to bury him, I think.” 

“ No, he lives,” said another voice. “ He is 
opening his eyes. Get up and come with us.” 

The last remark was addressed to Julius, 
who had risen to his elbow. Although the 
dialect the men used was somewhat different 
from the Gallic speech he understood fairly 
well by this time, some instinct told the boy 
not to let the men know he could understand 
them at all. 

“ Water,” he begged in Latin. “ I am hurt. 
Give me water.” 

“ He doesn’t talk our language,” said an¬ 
other Gallic soldier, coming up to the two who 
had found Julius lying wounded. ‘‘ Shall we 

take him on to camp? Perhaps we can get him 

119 


120 ON LAND AND SEA WITH C^SAR 


to tell us something of the Roman plans when 
we get him where some one of our men can 
talk with him in Latin.” 

“ No, finish him here,” urged another. “We 
don’t want prisoners.” 

“We won’t do murder,” stated the first 
Gaul in a tone of authority. “ They fight well 
enough to deserve to be well used, and, how¬ 
ever much we hate them, we must admit they 
give our prisoners good treatment.” . 

“ Good treatment indeed,” scornfully re¬ 
marked the man who had discovered Julius. 
“ Good treatment! To make slaves of those 
who surrender! We’ll do the same with him. 
No good to kill him, to be sure. But I’ll take 
him if he is worth saving. He’s mine. I found 
him first.” 

The others assented to this proposition and 
Julius was picked up and carried, gently 
enough, on an improvised stretcher, to a village 
that lay some distance away from the place 
where the fight had taken place. His head 
ached terribly and by feeling of it he discovered 
a swollen and tender spot, made by a stone that 
had struck him. 

The stone had been hurled by one of the 


CAPTURED BY THE ENEMY 


121 


fleeing Gauls, and Julius had fallen among the 
bushes, stunned by the blow, out of sight of 
any of his companions. 

His captors placed him in a low hut built 
against the mountainside. It had one large 
room in front and at the rear a tiny space lead¬ 
ing off from it, which had no windows and 
was evidently used for storage. The men laid 
him on a cot of skins placed upon the floor. 

The boy had fully recovered his senses and 
was not disabled by his wound, although it 
throbbed painfully. As he was carried along 
by the men, he had decided that his chances 
for a possible escape would be better if he 
pretended to be badly hurt, so he made no at¬ 
tempt to walk or stand and appeared to swoon 
away again when he was laid upon the cot. 

The mistress of the house soon came into the 
dark room with a blazing pine knot for a light. 
She bathed and bandaged his head, which 
brought him grateful relief. In a short time 
she appeared again with a bowl of broth. 

Refreshed by this, Julius lay back on his 
cot, listening to the voices he heard in the room 
beyond, the tones coming clearly to him 
through the bearskin that hung across the 


122 ON LAND AND SEA WITH CAESAR 

doorway. After a few hours, more men came 
into the cottage and an animated discussion 
began. To hear it better, Julius crawled cau¬ 
tiously close to the doorway. 

“ I tell you, we can’t fail,” he heard a voice 
say. “We have men enough to swamp them 
completely. Before three sunsets have come, 
there will not be a Roman left in the moun¬ 
tains.” 

“ How many soldiers have we? ” inquired 
another. 

“ Twenty thousand have already been as¬ 
sembled from the mountain tribes, and ten 
thousand more are on the way and are expected 
in to-morrow.” 

“ When will the attack be made? ” 

“ Day after to-morrow, if these additional 
tribesmen get here. I tell you that not one 
Roman shall live to see that sunset.” 

“ Have you ever fought against the Ro¬ 
mans? ” another voice inquired. 

“ No, but what odds does that make? ” the 
boaster answered. “ They are not so much 
better than we are. The trouble with you men 
is that you are afraid of them. Look what you 
did to-day. You had a hundred or more sol- 



The mistress of the house soon came into the dark 

ROOM.—Page 121 . 





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CAPTURED BY THE ENEMY 123 

diers and you couldn’t stop that little band 
of fifty Romans who guarded the load of grain. 
Just one young officer in command, too.” 

“We blocked their way three times and 
our ambush was almost a success,” maintained 
the second speaker. “We had them in a trap 
and should have killed them all if they had not 
charged up the mountainside so quickly.” 

The first Gaul’s tone was more scornful than 
before as he replied, “ If! If! Always mak¬ 
ing excuses. You had your chance and missed 
it.” 

“ Well, you weren’t there yourself, so what 
have you to say? ” was the retort. 

“No, I was away to bring in some braver 
fighters than the people in this valley. You 
shall see when the attack is made on the Roman 
camp how tribesmen ought to fight.” 

“ It ought to be easy to overcome them,” 
spoke up another man. “ They have divided 
their forces. Two cohorts are away down the 
river among the Nantuates. That leaves about 
four thousand legionaries in the camp. If only 
our men will keep up the attack. That’s the 
trouble, we get discouraged too easily and stop 
fighting too soon.” 


124 ON LAND AND SEA WITH CAESAR 


Julius listened for an hour or more to the 
conversation, but learned nothing further of 
the plans for the attack on the Roman posi¬ 
tion. The mountaineers, constantly quarreling 
among themselves, discussed their grievances 
against their enemies more than plans for 
overcoming them. They were extremely bit¬ 
ter that so many of their children were held as 
hostages in the Roman camp, and all feared 
that their tribes would be put under a stern 
Roman yoke unless they made a desperate 
stand. 

Crawling back to his cot, Julius lay still till 
the visitors had departed and he felt sure the 
members of the household were sound asleep. 
Then he began to explore his prison chamber 
cautiously. 

It was a bright moonlight night outside, as 
he could tell by the beams of light that came 
through some cracks in the log walls. Feel¬ 
ing all about the room, he discovered no out¬ 
let except the doorway to the main room. His 
captors, thinking he could not possibly escape, 
had not bound him. Not one of them had been 
into his room since they first put him in it. 

Julius wondered whether he could move 


CAPTURED BY THE ENEMY 


125 


noiselessly enough through the front room to 
avoid detection. He resolved to try it. 

Laying aside his armor, he stepped into the 
main room. None of the sleepers stirred. He 
crossed stealthily to the door. It was heavily 
barred. He feared to try to open it, for to 
remove the fastenings might make a noise. 

Julius cautiously tiptoed his way alongside 
the wall to a window. He had almost reached 
it when he stumbled over some object lying on 
the floor. One of the sleepers turned over on 
his cot of skins and began to utter audible 
sounds, but in a low tone. 

The prisoner’s heart was in his mouth. He 
hardly dared to breathe. Was the Gaul awake? 

No, the man was still sleeping soundly, 
breathing heavily. Something was disturbing 
his rest, but he had heard no sound of any one 
moving about the room. 

Julius reached the window. It had a light 
covering of skin over it to keep out the cold. 
Slowly and stealthily he removed the window¬ 
covering. He drew himself noiselessly to the 
sill and slipped down upon the other side. 

He was free. His escape had been un¬ 
noticed. 


126 ON LAND AND SEA WITH C^SAR 


The boy stole silently along the street of the 
sleeping village, not daring to put on his boots 
till he was well beyond the last of the houses. 
He wished he had dared to take his armor, for 
with only his soldier’s tunic, he began to shiver 
in the cool air of the autumn night. One thing 
he was thankful for, that the moon gave light 
enough to travel by. 

Now, how should he find the camp? A 
curious, lost feeling came over him. Although 
the night was bright and it was easy to find 
the points of the compass by the stars, he had 
not the slightest notion of the direction in 
which the camp lay, or how far off it was. He 
had been carried several miles through the 
woods by his captors and had lost all sense of 
direction. 

This was the most bewildering sensation he 
had ever felt, not to have the faintest idea of 
where he was. He knew his destination, the 
Roman camp, but how to reach it was the prob¬ 
lem. 

“ Well, I must start along some track,” he 
said to himself. “ Perhaps I shall locate my¬ 
self by and by.” 

He soon came to a small brook. Down- 


CAPTURED BY THE ENEMY 127 

stream, of course,” he thought. “ This must 
lead to a river somewhere.” 

Sure enough, after he had tramped several 
miles along its bank, he found that it did join 
a larger stream. Following down-stream, he 
came at length to the River Rhone, but in a 
spot he never remembered having seen before. 

The mountain peaks towering in the distance 
had a familiar look, but to save his life he 
could not tell on which side of the camp they 
lay. Should he go east or west, up-stream or 
down? 

“ How curious,” he said to himself, then 
laughed. “ I’m not lost, but the camp is. 
Come, camp, I must find you. If you are not 
in one direction, you must be in the other. I 
have a couple of hours yet before the natives 
will be moving about.” 

He set out up the stream and found to his 
joy that he had taken the right course. Fa¬ 
miliar landmarks came into view, and just as 
dawn was breaking he approached the camp 
gates. 

A squad of soldiers was coming out, led by 
Sub-Centurion Titus Colenus and First Cen¬ 
turion Publius Baculus. 


128 ON LAND AND SEA WITH CAESAR 


“ What, ho! ” called Julius, merrily. “ Why 
such an early start? ” 

To look for you,’’ shouted Titus. “ Where 
on earth have you been? We thought you had 
been killed.” 

“ I have done a little scouting for myself,” 
replied Julius, “ and have learned some im¬ 
portant news. The barbarians knocked me out 
and took me prisoner, but didn’t lock me up 
very tight. I just walked away.” 

“ By Jove, you don’t know what a night 
I’ve had,” declared Titus, wringing his cousin’s 
hand till he winced. “ Such a relief to see 
you! ” 

“ I must report to Galba at once,” continued 
Julius. “ Then I will tell you my experiences. 
Our camp is to be attacked day after to-mor¬ 
row by thirty thousand of the enemy.” 

“ I’m not surprised to learn that,” said 
Baculus. ‘‘ Things had begun to take on an 
ugly look. I feared we were in for trouble.” 

Galba immediately called a council of his 
officers and debated the situation the informa¬ 
tion Julius brought showed they had to face. 
The tribunes and the leading centurions unan¬ 
imously agreed to hold the position and de- 


CAPTURED BY THE ENEMY 129 

fend the camp. To march away in the face of 
the enemy would be at least as hazardous as 
to wait the attack and such procedure was not 
in keeping with Roman traditions. 

The incomplete fortifications were hastily 
strengthened and all available weapons were 
made ready. Scouting parties sent out brought 
back the information that all the passes were 
held by the barbarians. There was nothing to 
do but wait. 

The attack came on the appointed time, 
beginning early in the morning. The first as¬ 
sault was easily repulsed, but the enemy came 
back again and again. The legionaries were 
moved from place to place about the walls, as 
one point after another was attacked. Even 
the wounded were obliged to keep their places 
in the ranks, for every man was needed. 

For six hours the series of attacks was kept 
up, wave after wave of barbarians advancing 
against the Roman position. As each storm¬ 
ing party was repulsed, another, composed of 
fresh troops, took its place, till the legionaries 
were exhausted. There were no relief troops 
or fresh forces for them to hurl into the com¬ 
bat. Even behind fortifications, four thousand 


130 ON LAND AND SEA WITH CvESAR 

men, even Romans, were too few to meet thirty 
thousand. 

“ How goes it, Baculus? ” asked Galba, 
making a tour of the ramparts. 

“ Well, sir, we have driven them back so 
far,” replied the veteran centurion, “ but all 
our javelins have been thrown. We must fight 
it out with the sword from now on.” 

“ There is only one thing left for us,” volun¬ 
teered a military tribune, Caius Volusenus. 
“We must make a sally and disperse the 
enemy.” 

“ That is easier said than done,” remarked 
the commander of the legion. “ They still far 
outnumber us, in spite of the slaughter we 
have caused. If we move out from our forti¬ 
fications, they will entirely surround us.” 

“ They do so, for that matter, now,” said 
Baculus. “ If we meet them on the open 
ground with the sword, we shall stand a bet¬ 
ter chance. I have been thinking of a sally, 
myself, sir. It is the only thing to do. Let 
us strike from all the gates at once and take 
them by surprise.” 

“ It shall be done,” said Galba. 

He immediately ordered that all the enemy’s 


CAPTURED BY THE ENEMY 131 

darts that had fallen within the camp should 
be collected. The darts would do very well 
for missiles, even if not so perfect as the Ro¬ 
man javelins. The iron hail of javelins 
formed no small part of the vigor of the blow 
delivered by a charging Roman legion, some¬ 
times breaking the enemy's ranks before an 
attack was delivered at close quarters with the 
sword. 

The legion was divided into four equal parts, 
Baculus being assigned to lead one of them, 
with Titus and Julius close beside him, and at 
a given signal the men of the twelfth dashed 
out against their enemies. 

The barbarians, surprised by the sudden at¬ 
tack, in place of the surrender they had been 
expecting at any moment, gave way at all 
points, fleeing in a panic without stopping to 
fight. 

The sudden turn in the tide of battle gave 
heart to the weary legionaries and they made 
a relentless pursuit, assisted by the allied 
cavalry. The enemy were completely routed 
and scattered, over a third of their number 
falling before the Roman attack. 

Another council of war was held and the 


132 ON LAND AND SEA WITH CiESAR 


Roman officers agreed with Galba that the 
wisest move would be to retire to a less ex¬ 
posed position. From the hostile population 
of the mountain region no sure and sufficient 
supply of provisions could be secured, while the 
roads would be impossible to move the army 
over during the winter and spring. 

The camp was broken up and the legionaries 
marched back over the route they had come, 
picking up the two cohorts that had been left 
among the Nantuates. The valley was devas¬ 
tated before they left, as a punishment for the 
treacherous attack of the mountain tribes. 

The legion wintered among the friendly Al- 
lobroges in the Province. 


CHAPTER XI 


LETTER HOME 

“To my father, Publius Colenus, my mother 
and brothers and sisters, not forgetting all 
my other relatives and friends, I, Julius Cole¬ 
nus, sub-centurion in the army of Caius Julius 
Caesar in Gaul, send greetings. 

“ To let you know that Titus and I are well 
and prospering, I take this opportunity to send 
you this letter by a messenger, who is to leave 
the camp to return to Italy. We shall soon 
break up our winter quarters and take the field 
again for operations I shall tell you more of 
later. 

“ The big news I have put in my salutation. 
Your son and brother has become an officer. 
Tell Grandpa of it and all of Titus’ folks. I 
am so proud I hardly know what to do, but 
I have been raised in rank and now have my 
sub-centurion’s staff, just as Titus has. I 
don’t know what I have done to earn the honor, 
for I did not show any distinguished conduct 
in battle above the other soldiers, as Titus did 
when he was promoted, but it doesn’t matter 
how it came about. I am an officer and I shall 
do my best to deserve the promotion. 

“ I think our good friend Baculus had a 

133 


134 ON LAND AND SEA WITH CJESAR 


great deal to do with it, for I know his recom¬ 
mendations have weight with the higher officers 
of the legion and he is about the best friend 
we have in the army and is ever so good to us. 
Titus and I are extremely lucky we fell in 
with him at the start of our army life. We 
do not see so much of good Gametius now, for 
he is with the tenth legion, you know, while 
we are still with the twelfth. I am glad of 
that, to remain in this legion, I mean, for I 
know these men so well and they do not seem 
displeased to have so young an officer over 
them, even though some of them have been in 
the army longer than I have. 

“It is a great responsibility, but I am de¬ 
termined to make good. I won’t write any 
more about it, lest you think I am vain. I 
know that you will be glad to hear of this honor 
that has come to me. We have quite a number 
of new subordinate officers and several of them 
have been transferred to other legions or other 
cohorts. I am still with the same cohort I 
have been with all summer, a fine body of men. 
It is the first cohort, you know, and leads the 
legion. 

“ Titus is well on the road to becoming a 
full-ranking centurion. He is a wonder in 
commanding the men, a strict disciplinarian— 
and that is what we need in the army. We 
have both studied up on the work we have to 
do as officers and on the drill regulations and 
I think it has paid us to do so. Some of the 


A LETTER HOME 


135 


soldiers just loaf and have a good time in their 
free hours, but we are anxious to get ahead. 
Titus ought to be a centurion soon, especially 
if we have such losses in the field as we did 
last summer. Don’t be scared because I write 
you that, for we are not in any more danger 
than we were before, but some good men must 
fall in every battle. 

“ The gods have taken care of us so far, and 
I am sure our good fortune will remain with 
us. I am not sorry I joined the army. On 
the contrary, I am glad of it, for it is really 
a wonderful work we are doing here in Gaul 
under Cgesar’s leadership. We are making the 
Roman empire larger and safer. I can’t go 
into particulars about it, for that would make 
too long a letter, but when I get home I will 
tell you all about it. The Roman people will 
realize some day, if they do not now, what 
great results our campaigns are bringing. 

“We shall soon start for the western sea- 
coast, way out by the Atlantic Ocean, where 
some tribes are in revolt against the Roman 
authority, after having submitted to Caesar and 
given hostages. It will mean a march clear 
across the country again and will lead us into 
new fields, farther than we have ever been be¬ 
fore. 

“ We covered quite a bit of country last 
summer in our marches, our own twelfth legion 
especially, for, as I wrote you before, we came 
back to the Alps after campaigning against 


136 ON LAND AND SEA WITH CAESAR 


the Belgians near the northern coast. Crassus 
took the seventh legion among the maritime 
tribes in the northwest and brought all those 
remote peoples under the Roman sway. We 
hold almost all of Gaul and it is a big terri¬ 
tory. 

“No wonder the citizens of Rome gave Cse- 
sar a public thanksgiving of fifteen days when 
he returned to the city last fall. It was the 
longest ever celebrated for any conqueror. He 
deserved it. You cannot realize, unless you 
have been over the ground yourself, the vast¬ 
ness and richness of this new part of the Ro¬ 
man dominions, almost unknown till we came 
into it. The fame of Cgesar’s army has spread 
far and wide beyond the borders of Gaul and 
even the German tribes that live bevond the 
Rhine have sent ambassadors to tender their 
submission. 

“ Our general’s surprising energy and the 
speed at which his army traveled from place 
to place were simply overwhelming to our 
enemies. We did not have to do a great deal 
of fighting last season, when you consider the 
tremendous number of people in the hostile 
tribes we conquered. 

“ It was our leader’s careful planning and 
his superior strategy that helped us win, more 
than the fighting we legionaries had to do. 
That is all the more to Cassar’s credit, I think. 
To be sure, we did have a few tough battles, 
but think what it would have meant if we had 


A LETTER HOME 


137 


had to fight all those hordes of barbarians at 
one time. Instead, we divided them up, took 
them separately and conquered them one after 
another, chiefly because of our quick move¬ 
ments. We had an awful lot of marching to 
do, but your son is good at that, and Titus 
and I never fell out of the ranks or straggled 
a single time. Maybe that is one reason we 
got promotions. It wouldn’t look very well to 
have the common soldiers beat out the centu¬ 
rions. 

“It is really wonderful to be with Ceesar 
when he is in the thick of the campaign and to 
see how resourceful and far-sighted he is. I 
have had the opportunity, you know, to be at 
his headquarters quite a bit of the time. I 
hope I shall see some service on his staff this 
vear also. 

«/ . 

“ To go back again to our marches. It is 

something of a disgrace for a soldier to fall 
out of the line and have to straggle in at even¬ 
ing with the baggage-train and the traders’ 
wagons, but some do it on practically every 
hard march. I was so nearly exhausted one hot 
day when we were making an unusually long 
march, that I was tempted to sit down and 
rest and let the troops go on. If it had not 
been my birthday I should have done so, but 
I just would not quit that day. 

“ As for what is ahead of us for this coming 
spring and summer, I do not know much about 
it, except in a general way, judging by the 


138 . ON LAND AND SEA WITH C^SAR 


reports we hear. Csesar will return soon and 
then things will start. There is not much to 
write about of our winter here in camp. 

“ The Lieutenant Crassus was sent out last 
fall to take up winter quarters with one of the 
legions among the Andes, a tribe near the 
Atlantic Ocean on the north shore of the Bay 
of Biscay. The Veneti are the strongest tribe 
in that region. They own all the important 
harbors on the coast and have a big commerce 
with Spain and Britain, having a large number 
of ships. By the way, I hope I shall go to 
Britain some day and I think there is a good 
possibility that we may do so. This expedi¬ 
tion against the coast tribes may be a prepa¬ 
ration for that sort of trip. 

“ Britain is reported to be a large and rich 
island a little distance away from the main¬ 
land. It is near enough so that the Gauls 
have considerable commerce with the Britons, 
especially certain of the coast tribes, the 
Veneti, for example. The Britons are like the 
Gauls, only wilder. 

“ Well, these Veneti have violated the laws 
of nations and must be punished. All our 
soldiers are greatly aroused over the stories 
that have come to us. Crassus sent some of 
his officers out among the tribes in the vicinity 
of his winter quarters to make arrangements 
for a supply of provisions. The Veneti per¬ 
suaded the other tribes to enter into an alliance 
against us and they seized our officers and still 


A LETTER HOME 


139 


hold them as prisoners, demanding in return 
for them the hostages these tribes have given 
Ceesar as a pledge for the fulfillment of the 
treaty of submission they have made with us. 

“ This seizure of ambassadors without warn¬ 
ing, in time of peace, is without precedent, 
even among nations that do not make any 
claim to a high degree of civilization. Cassar 
has sent us orders to make preparations for an 
immediate expedition to punish the Veneti for 
their treachery. I know very well indeed two 
of the officers who have been taken prisoner, 
Quintus Velanius and Titus Silius. I hope 
they come to no harm at the hands of the bar¬ 
barians. 

“We shall need ships in this coming cam¬ 
paign and a large fleet is being built on the 
River Loire, to be supplied with rowers, sailors 
and pilots from the Mediterranean coast of the 
Province. We hear that the revolting tribes, 
knowing that they committed an unpardonable 
breach of the law of nations, have fortified the 
coast towns and provisioned them to stand a 
siege. All the tribes along the coast are in¬ 
volved in the revolt, under the leadership of 
the Veneti, and it is rumored that they have 
sent to Britain for men and ships, too. 

“ Our army and navy will probably work 
together. Decimus Brutus has been given 
command of the fleet. Caesar has sent orders 
to divide up the army to some extent. Labi- 
enus has taken a large part of the cavalry 


140 ON LAND AND SEA WITH CAESAR 


among the tribes near the Rhine to assist our 
allies, the Remi, and to keep the Belgian tribes 
quiet. There is no telling when some of these 
barbarians may rise up in revolt in our rear. 
Then, too, we need to guard the German 
frontier, for there is always danger from that 
source, both to the Gauls and ourselves. 

Crassus has come back from the coast and 
has been sent to Aquitania, a part of Gaul that 
lies in the southwest corner, near Spain. He 
has some cavalry and twelve legionary cohorts 
with him, probably a large enough force to 
keep the Aquitanians in order and to prevent 
them from joining with the Veneti. Sabinus 
has been sent with a strong force to the tribes 
on the coast opposite Britain, north of the 
Veneti, to prevent an insurrection in that 
quarter. 

“ Thus we have three legions north of the 
River Loire, one legion and two cohorts in 
Aquitania, and two full legions and eight 
cohorts in the main army that Caesar will take 
personal command of when he comes. This 
may seem to you like splitting up the army a 
good deal, but our different forces are not far 
apart, so we could easily get together, and we 
split up the barbarian forces, too, by the man¬ 
ner in which our troops are disposed. 

“ One legion, we understand, is to be with 
the fleet. I hope it will be ours, for I should 
like to see some service on the water. It looks 
to me as if this campaign will be on sea more 


A LETTER HOME 


141 


than on land. Some war galleys have been 
sent from the Mediterranean, but most of our 
fleet was built along the navigable rivers here. 
The ships have to be made on a somewhat dif¬ 
ferent model from the vessels our people are 
accustomed to using, in order to be able to 
stand the storms of the ocean, which is at times 
very rough, far different from the Mediter¬ 
ranean sea. 

“ What a long letter I have written you! I 
have outlined as well as I could what our next 
campaign will be. Do not fear for my safety, 
but pray the gods to take care of your soldier 
boy. 

“ You know my love is constant for you all. 
My cousin Titus sends his greeting. 

“ Written by my own hand at the Roman 
winter camp. 

“Julius Colenus, sub-centurion 
of the first cohort of the twelfth legion/^ 


CHAPTER XII 


CAMPAIGNING ON THE COAST 

“ Our part of the dike is completed, sir,” 
reported Centurion Titus Colenus to his 
superior officer. 

The Knight Mamurra, chief engineer of 
Ceesar’s forces, looked up from the plans which 
he was studying, spread out upon his knees as 
he sat in his tent. “ Very good,” he said. 
“ How is the dike on the other side of the works 
progressing? ” 

“ I do not know, sir,” answered Titus. “ I 
came at once to report as soon as my men 
had finished their task.” 

“ Then all is in readiness for the attack as 
soon as the other dike is completed. You may 
call off your men from the fortifications and 
let them prepare for an attack. You have 
done well.” 

Titus saluted and started to leave the officer’s 
tent. 

‘‘ Wait a moment,” Mamurra ordered. ‘‘ I 

want to talk with you. Be seated. 

142 


CAMPAIGNING ON THE COAST 143 

“ Young man,” he continued, as the youth¬ 
ful centurion obeyed, “ how long have you 
held the rank of centurion? ” 

“ About a year, sir.” 

“Only a year! You do surprising work. 
Let me see, this is the fourth town we have 
attacked in this manner, by building dikes up 
to it, is it not? ” 

“ Yes, sir.” 

“ And how many times have you been in 
charge of the construction work? ” 

“ This is the second time, sir.” 

“ And another time, I believe, you were 
the first of the supervisors to report to me that 
you had finished the task assigned.” 

“ I do not know, sir.” 

“ I think I can verify the fact.” Mamurra 
searched among some parchments he had stored 
with his personal baggage, for he was a me¬ 
thodical man and kept notes of the progress of 
the engineering works of which he had charge. 
He soon found the record he was looking for. 

“ Here it is,” he said, “ the plan of the ap¬ 
proaches thrown up against the town of Vilana. 
Yes, here is the marginal note I was looking 
for. ‘ First report of completion of work made 


144 ON LAND AND SEA WITH CJESAR 


by Cent. T. Colenus. Watch his work.’ I 
thought so.” 

He looked at Titus steadily, till the young 
officer began to blush. 

“ You enjoy this engineering work, I think,” 
Mamurra continued. 

“ Yes, sir, I do,” replied Titus. 

“ You are a skilful and a rapid worker. I 
am pleased. In the attack on Vilana I am sure 
we should have captured the inhabitants of the 
town if we had been able to attack the after¬ 
noon before. You had your side of the works 
all finished long before nightfall. But one of 
the parallel dikes that led to the town was not 
finished till next morning. The result was that 
all the Veneti took to their boats and made 
off, so we captured only the empty town.” 

“ They have escaped from us several times 
in that way,” said Titus. “ What can we do 
to prevent it? ” 

“ I do not know, except to push our works 
with more speed. That is the great difficulty 
of this campaign, to throw up dikes and 
mounds against their towns at a great cost in 
labor and time only to have the enemy escape 
our clutches. We must study up a different 


CAMPAIGNING ON THE COAST 145 


way of approach. I want some bright young 
officers of the army to make a special study 
with me. You are one. I shall ask Ceesar to 
assign you and a few others to my headquar¬ 
ters to be with me all the time till we have 
mastered this baffling problem.” 

“ I thank you, sir,” exclaimed Titus. “ It 
is what I have most desired.” 

The campaign against the Veneti was not 
progressing favorably. The summer was al¬ 
ready almost gone and the revolting tribes were 
as far from being subdued as at the beginning 
of the operations against them. 

Their towns were difficult of access. Gen¬ 
erally built on points of land, they were in¬ 
accessible at high tide except by boats. When 
the tide receded, a narrow strip of dry land 
made a connection with the mainland, but when 
the tide went out it would leave the Roman 
boats stranded and helpless. 

The main body of the Roman fleet had not 
yet arrived, the building of it having been 
greatly delayed, and Caesar’s army had with 
it only a few small vessels picked up from 
among the coast tribes to assist with the opera¬ 
tions against the Veneti. 


146 ON LAND AND SEA WITH C^SAR 


The Knight Mamurra, one of Caesar’s most 
skilful engineers, had devised a plan for at¬ 
tacking the towns. It consisted of building 
two parallel dikes from the mainland to the 
town walls, often as high as the walls them¬ 
selves. These dikes shut off the waters of the 
sea and left a space between them to bring up 
engines and men for the assault. 

But the barbarians, well supplied with boats, 
and knowing every inlet and bay along the 
coast, did not wait within their towns to be 
attacked, but escaped by means of their boats, 
taking all their people and supplies with them. 
Their flat-bottomed boats could be navigated 
in very shallow water along the shore and up 
the estuaries of the rivers. 

This shifting of the Veneti from place to 
place, from one fortifled stronghold to another, 
was baffling to the Romans. Town after town 
had been captured, to be sure, but no definite 
results were secured by these captures, for the 
Veneti remained as numerous and well-sup¬ 
plied as before. They would not risk a gen¬ 
eral engagement with the legionaries, but ap¬ 
peared to be planning to tire the Romans out 
with fruitless operations. 


CAMPAIGNING ON THE COAST 147 


Ciesar, therefore, decided to cease his land 
operations and risk the outcome of the war on 
the result of a naval battle. The army was 
placed in camp on the heights of St. Gildas, 
on the east of the bay of Quiberon, in which 
all the warships of the Veneti had been as¬ 
sembled. 

“ The orders have been given,” shouted 
Julius, rushing into Titus’ tent. “ Our twelfth 
legion is to be placed upon the fleet. Now, 
don’t you wish you had not been picked for 
the engineering job? We are the ones that 
will do the work. The fleet is going to make 
the attack and I shall be with it. You may 
stick to your picks and shovels. What have 
you accomplished this summer so far? ” 

“ We’ve done as well as could be expected,” 
responded Titus, nettled by the taunt. ‘‘ It is 
not our fault we have not succeeded in con¬ 
quering the Veneti. We should have had the 
fleet earlier to cooperate with our land forces. 
That is the only way to get after these people, 
they are such slippery customers.” 

‘‘ Watch us now, and see what we do,” 
boasted Julius. 

‘‘ I wish you luck,” said Titus. ‘‘ Be a 


148 ON LAND AND SEA WITH CiESAR 


marine if you like, I shall stay with the forces 
on land.’’ 

“ I shall be in the fighting, though,” replied 
his cousin. “ The whole twelfth legion is to be 
placed aboard the vessels. We legionaries will 
make up the boarding parties.” 

“ You’ll need all the skill in climbing that 
you have,” declared Titus. “ Have you noticed 
how high the Venetian ships are compared with 
ours? Why, even our turrets on the decks of 
our ships are not as high as the sterns of their 
vessels.” 

“We outmatch them in speed, though,” said 
Julius. “ Our ships all have oars and theirs 
depend wholly on sails. We can manoeuver 
better than they can.” 

“ Well, we shall watch you,” said Titus. 
“ From these heights the whole army can have 
a splendid view of the bay. The battle will 
be in plain sight.” 

The Roman ships were cleared for action 
and the religious ceremonies that preceded the 
sailing to battle were carried out. First, the 
rowers went aboard and took their places at 
the oars. Then the legionaries who had been 
assigned to the fleet marched on the decks. 


CAMPAIGNING ON THE COAST 149 

with centurions detailed as commandants of 
marines on each vessel. 

The helmsmen took their places at the steer¬ 
ing oars, with pilots beside them who knew the 
channels and currents along the ocean shore. 
The chief of the rowers took his station beside 
his gong, on which he beat blows with a ham¬ 
mer to mark time for the oarsmen. 

Decimus Brutus, commander of the fleet, 
gave orders to fling to the breeze from the mast¬ 
head of his ship the admiral’s red flag, the 
signal for the battle to begin. A trumpet blast 
rang out from each vessel and the fleet set 
forth, the crews chanting the battle-hymn. 

To Julius and his fellow legionaries of the 
twelfth, everything was strange. It was new 
experience for every one of them, and they felt 
an added thrill of expectation in going into 
the first battle on the ocean in which the Roman 
troops had ever been engaged, for all previous 
naval battles of the Romans had been fought 
in Mediterranean waters. 

As the fleet moved up the bay against the 
waiting ships of the enemy, new equipment 
was given out to the legionaries on board. 
Their familiar short swords were exchanged 


150 ON LAND AND SEA WITH CJESAR 


for longer boarding-swords of special pattern, 
such as were used by the marines on regular 
duty with the Roman fleets. Battle-axes were 
issued to all, and also a special type of lance, 
with a curved, scythe-shaped blade. 

The fleet of Decimus Brutus advanced in 
battle order, the red battle-flag flying. When 
it came in sight, the Veneti set sail with their 
two hundred and twenty vessels, outnumber¬ 
ing the Roman ships about two to one. 

“ How high they are,” remarked a legionary. 
“ How shall we ever board them? ” 

“ Never fear,” replied his young centurion, 
Julius Colenus. “We shall find a wav. We 
can’t lose this battle, with all our comrades 
watching us from yonder hills.” 

Julius was busily engaged in observing the 
equipment with which his soldiers had to work, 
studying how the strange new weapons might 
be most advantageously employed. He had 
been stationed on the commander’s ship in the 
center of the line. The vessel was provided 
with a number of grappling-hooks, similar to 
those used in pulling stones from walls when 
besieging fortified towns. 

A sudden inspiration seized Julius. He ap- 


CAMPAIGNING ON THE COAST 151 

proached Brutus, the commander, and respect¬ 
fully saluted. 

“ I have an idea, sir,” he said, “ that may be 
of use to us to-day.” 

“ What is it? ” queried the admiral. 

“ Those grappling-hooks, sir.” 

“ Well? ” 

“ Are they to be used? ” 

“ Very likely, when we come to close quar¬ 
ters. Each ship has a supply of them. What 
do you suggest? ” 

“ AVell, sir, it struck me that they might be 
slung to the masts by means of poles and be 
used to catch the rigging of the enemy’s ships. 
If we can cut the rope, the main cable, or 
whatever it is called, that holds up the yard 
and sail of their ships, then their ships will be 
helpless, for they move only by the use of 
sails and have no oars. At least, few of their 
craft appear to be equipped with oars.” 

“A fine idea; we will use it!” exclaimed 
Decimus Brutus. 

Orders were hurriedly sent about the fieet 
to attach the grappling-hooks to the masts, with 
special rigging by which they could be con¬ 
trolled, and instructions were given to the 


152 ON LAND AND SEA WITH CJESAR 

commander of each vessel for the use of this 
tackle when his ship approached the enemy. 

The two fleets soon came to close quarters 
and the engagement began. Rowing along¬ 
side the Venetian ships, the Roman sailors 
hooked the enemy’s rigging with their new de¬ 
vices. Then the oarsmen were directed to pull 
vigorously. The cables snapped, the sails fell 
and the Venetian ships were helpless, at the 
mercy of wave and tide. 

The Roman vessels, navigated skilfully by 
their pilots, were able to move about at will, 
propelled in any direction by the oars. They 
attacked the helpless ships of the enemy as 
they chanced to find them, sending on board¬ 
ing-parties. Every ship of the enemy that was 
attacked was overpowered. 

By noon, nearly half the Venetian ships had 
been captured, their crews fighting coura¬ 
geously, but in vain, against the trained legion¬ 
aries who swarmed on board the boats. The 
rest, seeing the battle was lost, set sail to make 
their escape. 

But fortune favored the Romans. A dead 
calm came on. The Venetian sails hung idly 
from the yards. The vessels, becalmed and 


CAMPAIGNING ON THE COAST 153 


helpless, fell easy victims to the active Roman 
galleys. 

The unequal contest lasted till nearly sun¬ 
down. The entire Venetian fleet was captured 
in full view of Caesar and his army. Few of 
the members of the crews escaped. 

The whole strength of the Veneti in fighting 
men had been assembled on their fleet. In the 
disastrous defeat, all their youth and strength 
were lost. Without men or ships, the remain¬ 
ing people had no means of defense left. The 
nation surrendered to Caesar unconditionally. 

A cruel fate befell them as punishment for 
their treachery in detaining the Roman ambas¬ 
sadors. The entire nation was sold into slavery. 


CHAPTER XIII 


THROUGH VAST FORESTS 

Hardly had the triumph over the Veneti 
been accomplished when Caesar and his legion¬ 
aries received word from Sabinus that he had 
won a victory in the northern part of the 
country, the commander and his lieutenant 
hearing of each other’s success at about the 
same time. Viridovix, an outlaw chieftain who 
had gathered under his banner a large number 
of robbers and discontented men, had aroused 
the Unelli to revolt, but had been subdued by 
Sabinus and his troops. These two victories 
broke up the federation that had been formed 
among the seacoast tribes. 

Meanwhile, Publius Crassus had been suc¬ 
cessful in his operations in Aquitania, to the 
south, overcoming the tribes in that section of 
the country and securing their submission to 
the Roman authority. 

There remained only the tribes of the Morini 

and Menapii of all the tribes of Gaul who 

154 


THROUGH VAST FORESTS 


155 


had not submitted to Ceesar. These peoples 
had their abode along the coast from the mouth 
of the Rhine in a southwesterly direction to 
the lands of the Unelli, among whom Sabinus 
had been sent, a low-lying, marshy country, 
much cut up by streams. It is the land the 
Dutch later in history reclaimed from the sea 
by building dikes. 

The Morini and the Menapii had never sent 
ambassadors to Caesar and now, unawed by 
his triumphs over the other Gauls, they sent 
him a message of defiance. The Roman gen¬ 
eral at once set out on an expedition against 
the defiant tribes, taking all his forces with him. 

The enemy, taught a lesson by the defeats 
of the other tribes which had faced Csesar’s 
army, declined to meet the legionaries in bat¬ 
tle, but withdrew into the forests and morasses 
along the coast. This was no particular hard¬ 
ship to them, as they were accustomed to liv¬ 
ing in tents and caves, rather than in dwelling- 
houses in permanent towns, for they were less 
civilized than the other Gauls. Such dwell¬ 
ings as they had were for the most part widely 
scattered about in the country. 

Their leaving of their homes made their in- 


156 ON LAND AND SEA WITH CAESAR 


surrection a hard one to deal with, since there 
were no large organized bodies of fighting men 
for the legionaries to meet, nothing resembling 
an army to engage in combat with. Dense 
forests bordered the seacoast, having no well- 
marked roads, but only paths and byways 
through the wilderness, known only to the in¬ 
habitants of the region. Few scouts or traders 
could be found who had penetrated that part 
of the country to serve as guides. 

The method of fighting these tribesmen used 
was to cut off small foraging or scouting 
parties of the Roman forces, to harass the rear 
of the marching columns, and to lay ambus¬ 
cades. The only attacks in force made on the 
legionaries were while they were engaged in 
fortifying their camps. 

“ This kind of fighting is not to my liking,” 
declared Julius. 

“ Nor mine, either,” agreed Titus. 

“ Why don’t they stand and fight? ” inquired 
another legionary soldier. “ This hunting 
around in the woods may be good sport if 
you’re out to hunt for game, but I thought we 
were out on a military campaign.” 

“ Their tactics are annoying, to be sure,” 


THROUGH VAST FORESTS 


157 


said Titus, “ but you must give the enemy some 
credit for thinking of them. They are suc¬ 
ceeding in bothering us, anyway, are they 
not? ” 

“Yes, if you put it that way,” said Julius. 
“ But if they want trouble, let them come on. 
We’ll give them all the trouble they want if 
they will only stand and fight.” 

“ Their way gives them a chance of fighting 
a longer time,” said Titus, with a laugh. 
“ They have the advantage of us at present.” 

“ Let them run. I shall not run after them 
very far,” declared the companion Titus and 
Julius were talking with, thoroughly disgusted. 
“ I am sick of this style of warfare and I don’t 
. care who knows it.” 

“ They are causing us some losses, too,” con¬ 
tinued Titus, “ with this guerrilla style of fight¬ 
ing, and they make it difficult to get provisions. 
I wonder what they live on, anyway. It 
doesn’t seem to me this country is worth cap¬ 
turing.” 

The chief engineers with Caesar’s forces, the 
Knight Mamurra and L. Cornelius Balbus, 
devised a novel plan for protecting the column 
on its march. The forest trees along the line 


158 ON LAND AND SEA WITH CAESAR 

of march were cut down and piled up along 
each side in ramparts as the army moved along. 

In this work Titus played a leading part. 
He skilfully directed the men under him so 
that they lost no time or effort in cutting down 
and moving into place the huge forest giants. 
The trees were felled in such a way that they 
had to be moved but a short distance to get 
them into position on the walled highway that 
was being built. The young centurion earned 
the praise of Mamurra for his energetic direc¬ 
tion of the men under his command. 

The progress of the army was necessarily 
slow because of the labor of chopping the trees, 
but plenty of men were available to work in 
relays, and tools suitable for the work were at 
hand. The barbarians, who possessed only 
rude tools and to whom the felling of one large 
tree appeared to be a colossal task, were sur¬ 
prised at the speed at which the forests were 
leveled and the protected roadway was built 
into the heart of their country. 

After advancing far into hitherto unpene¬ 
trated country and after having taken for sup¬ 
plies for his army all the cattle left behind by 
the retreating tribesmen, Csesar retired to his 


THROUGH VAST FORESTS 


159 


base because the lateness of the season would 
make it impossible to conduct operations in 
such a country. The legions were put in win¬ 
ter quarters between the Seine and Loire rivers 
and Cassar himself, as his custom was, returned 
for the winter to Cisalpine Gaul. 

The winter brought disquieting news from 
the eastern frontier again. Always restless 
and on the move, more German tribes had 
crossed the Rhine and were threatening to take 
possession of the lands of the Gauls. This 
time it was some tribes of the nation of the 
Ubii, the Usipetes and the Tencteri. They had 
crossed the Rhine with 430,000 people, men, 
women, and children, and had advanced as far 
as the River Meuse. 

This sizable migration had alarmed the 
Gauls. Protests were received by Caesar from 
several tribes that had entered into alliance 
with him. The invaders were reported to have 
devastated the land of the Menapii with great 
slaughter. 

Rejoining his legions in early spring, Caesar 
set out at once on an expedition eastward to 
meet the new German threat and protect his 
Gallic allies. The leaders of the Gallic tribes 


160 ON LAND AND SEA WITH CiESAR 


were called together in conference at his head¬ 
quarters. They agreed to furnish provisions 
for the Roman army and to provide it with a 
fine body of native cavalry, numbering five 
thousand. 

Early in May, the legionaries and their allies 
began the eastward march. They moved rap¬ 
idly through the country of the Nervii, once 
enemies, but now glad of the protection of 
. the Roman soldiers. They reached the River 
Meuse, and there Cgesar began negotiations 
with the roving German tribes. 

The latter made request that Csesar author¬ 
ize them to retain the lands in Gaul they had 
already conquered. To this he would not 
consent, but insisted that they go back across 
the Rhine, where some of the German tribes, 
at his request, would be willing to grant them 
a place to settle. 

The ambassadors of the roving Germans 
made excuses for delay in the negotiations, 
claiming that they must secure the consent of 
their people to any terms they made. In 
reality, their object in delay was to give time 
for a large part of their cavalry, which had 
gone on a raiding expedition, to return to the 


THROUGH VAST FORESTS 


161 


main body of the army, which was rej)orted 
by the Gallic scouts to number a hundred 
thousand fighting men. 

The Roman legions advanced steadily • 
through the country, with the allied Gallic 
cavalry out in front as a vanguard to meet 
any sudden assault that might be made on the 
column and to do general scouting duty. 

Titus was with the legionary vanguard to 
select a camp-site for the night. His progress 
as an engineer had been so rapid that he was 
often detailed for the duty of selecting the 
camp-site and laying out its walls and streets. 
Julius was with him with a selected body of 
legionaries to set up stakes to mark the outline 
of the camp walls. 

“ There,” said Titus, halting his command, 

“ this slope will make an ideal camp-site. The 
view of the surrounding country is good, and 
there is an abundant water supply. Lay out 
the line of stakes from this point.” 

He indicated the. direction he wished the 
wall to follow. The legionaries ran to set the 
stakes and mark off the proper distances, Titus 
watching till they came into the line he had 
selected. 


162 ON LAND AND SEA WITH CJESAR 


“ Look,” he exclaimed suddenly, pointing 
his arm higher to indicate a spot on the horizon 
several miles distant. “ What is that cloud of 
dust rising? ” 

“ Sure enough,” said Julius. “ There is a 
lot of dust. The cavalry are riding hard. Per¬ 
haps they have met some of the Germans in a 
skirmish.” 

The surmise was correct, as was soon learned 
from the Gallic cavalrymen, who came fleeing 
back to the protection of the Roman foot- 
soldiers. The German horsemen had suddenly 
attacked them and driven them back defeated. 

“ Why did you flee? ” asked Titus, sternly, 
of a Gallic horseman he knew well, as the 
frightened man drew rein on reaching the cen¬ 
turion and his small outpost force. 

“ They attacked so suddenly they spread a 
panic among us,” the horseman declared. 

“ H’m,” sneered Titus, ‘‘ you boast of your 
horsemanship and the superiority of your 
Gallic cavalry. I don’t see that you do much 
when you get into action. You should be 
ashamed to let these untrained German wild 
men scare you off. Did you stand and make 
a fight of it? ” 


THROUGH VAST FORESTS 


163 


“ Yes, at first,” the Gaul replied, “ but it 
was useless. The Germans had the most 
peculiar tactics. They threw our men into 
confusion. The riders use no saddles or bridles 
and they fight on foot as well as on horseback. 
They jump off their horses and stab our horses 
in the belly, then mount their steeds, which 
have come to a standstill to wait for them. 
What can you do against fighters like that? 
They do not make cavalry charges as we do. 
There is no clash of opposing bodies of troops, 
just a series of individual combats. If we 
charge on them, they flee. Then they turn 
and spring from their horses and go at us on 
foot.” 

Other fleeing Gauls brought back the same 
tales of wild disorder in their ranks made by 
the savage horsemen of the enemy. The. de¬ 
feat of the Gauls was complete, although they 
outnumbered their attackers. Their retreat 
was not stopped until they reached the shelter 
of the Roman infantry. 

The attack had been made during the prog¬ 
ress of a truce, while the German ambassadors 
were considering Caesar’s proposition. He re¬ 
solved to take no further chances with the 


I 

164 ON LAND AND SEA WITH CAESAR 

treacherous enemy and to place no more re¬ 
liance on his allied cavalry, but to put the le¬ 
gions into action at once. 

Early next morning the legions were mar¬ 
shaled in three lines, in column of cohorts, and 
moved against the enemy, who were in camp 
eight miles away. The cavalry was stationed 
in the rear. 

The country over which they had to move 
was densely wooded, difficult ground to travel, 
but the legionaries had no baggage with them, 
but only the arms needed in battle. The woods 
sheltered their movements from the enemy, 
who had no scouts and did not learn of the 
movement against them. 

The pace was quickened as the legionaries 
left the open ground about the camp and they 
were urged along at a jog-trot that quickly 
carried them over the eight miles separating 
their camp from the enemy’s. A short rest was 
given in the woods just before the German 
camp was reached and then the legionaries 
dashed with fury upon the enemy. 

Taken entirely by surprise, the Germans put 
up only a short and weak resistance. Most of 
them threw down their arms and fled at once. 


THROUGH VAST FORESTS 


165 


A panic spread among them, all seeking safety 
in flight, scattering as they went. 

The Gallic cavalry, anxious to make good 
for their defeat of the day before, pursued the 
fugitives and cut them down without mercy. 
Penned in between the Rhine and the Meuse 
rivers, the defeated Germans had no place to 
which to flee to safety. Those who did not 
fall by the sword perished in attempting to 
swim the rivers. Their whole army was routed 
with terrific slaughter. 

“ What a difference between this battle and 
the one in which we first met the Germans, 
under Ariovistus,” remarked Titus to Julius. 

“ I should say so,” his cousin replied. “We 
have hardly a man wounded, even, and none 
killed.” 

“ Our losses have been slight indeed. It was 
the shortest battle I was ever in and the most 
one-sided. I don’t feel tired at all.” 

“ It is a good thing we didn’t have to take 
part in the pursuit,” Julius continued. “ Now 
we are fresh for whatever the next move may 
be.” 

“ Do you remember how we feared the Ger¬ 
mans the first time we met them? ” asked Titus. 


166 ON LAND AND SEA WITH C.ESAR 


“ I’ll say I do,” replied Julius. “ I shall 
never forget it in my life. The first big battle 
we were in, when we were green recruits, too, 
came near being the last for most of us.” 

“We both have scars of wounds to remem¬ 
ber it by,” said Titus. 

“ Did you receive a single scratch in to-day’s 
combat? I didn’t,” said Julius. 

“ Not one.” 

“ Do you know, it seems to me our cam¬ 
paigns are getting easier, instead of harder, as 
we go along.” 

“ That’s true,” said Titus. “ It’s natural 
enough, though. We are getting more ex¬ 
perienced.” 

“ But that isn’t all there is to it,” persisted 
Julius. “ It is a result of Caesar’s leadership. 
There is such a dash and snap to his move¬ 
ments it takes the enemy off their guard and 
makes the work so much easier for us.” 

“ You are right,” assented Titus. 

The next move of their leader was swift and 
unexpected, nothing less than an invasion of 
the German territory across the Rhine. Al¬ 
though this movement was wholly unlocked for 
by friends and enemies alike, the occasion was 


THROUGH VAST FORESTS 


167 


propitious and Csesar, with his usual decisive¬ 
ness, seized the opportunity. 

The chief motive that moved him was the 
desire to strike further terror of the Roman 
arms into the hearts of the restless German 
tribes, who so constantly threatened inroads on 
the territory of the Gauls. The Germans had 
learned by two disastrous defeats that they 
could not invade nations under the protection 
of the Romans while Caesar was near at hand, 
but they believed themselves to be invincible in 
their own territory. 

No Roman army had ever crossed the Rhine. 
No serious threat of invasion by any hostile 
power had ever been made against the Ger¬ 
mans and they had become insolent in their 
dealings with other nations. The message sent 
by Caesar demanding the surrender of the 
raiders who had left the main part of their 
army before the defeat he had just inflicted 
on it, and who had taken refuge with a friendly 
German tribe, was answered in this fashion: 

“ The Rhine bounds the empire of the Ro¬ 
man people. If Caesar did not think it just 
for the Germans to pass over into Gaul against 
his consent, why did he claim that anything 


168 ON LAND AND SEA WITH C^SAR 

beyond the Rhine should be subject to his 
dominion or power? ’’ 

Invasion of German territory decided on, 
the Roman general received immediate offers 
of assistance from one of the tribes beyond the 
Rhine, the Ubii, who felt themselves oppressed 
by their neighbors, the Suevi, another Ger¬ 
man tribe. The Ubii asked his aid against 
their mutual enemy and promised a sufficient 
number of boats to transport his forces across 
the river. 

This offer was declined. Csesar decided it 
was not consistent with his dignity or that of 
the Roman people to accept the proffered aid. 
He would make the crossing without assist¬ 
ance. It was not safe, in his judgment, to use 
the boats. A way to retreat in case of neces¬ 
sity must be provided. 

On towards the Rhine the Roman army 
moved by steady stages. 

Titus, assigned to duty with Mamurra and 
his assistant engineers, began to wonder what 
the plans were. No word had come from the 
commander to his soldiers, whom he usually 
kept well-informed of plans for the operations 
of the immediate future, believing he secured 


THROUGH VAST FORESTS 


169 


better cooperation from his men by taking 
them into his confidence. 

“ How shall we ever cross the wide river? ” 
the boy asked Mamurra. “ I hear rumors in 
the camp that the offer of boats has been de¬ 
clined. What is Csesar’s plan? ” 

“ He has not informed me,” replied the 
knight, “ but what other way is there but to 
build a bridge? ” 

Still in the dark as to their leader’s plans, 
the legionaries reached the bank of the Rhine, 
to which no other military force of Rome had 
ever penetrated. Its farther shore was fully 
a quarter of a mile away. Its turbulent cur¬ 
rent swept with mighty force between the 
banks. 


CHAPTER XIV 


BEYOND THE RHINE 

“ Come, Centurion Colenus,” ordered the 
Knight Mamurra. “We are to go to a con¬ 
ference with our general this morning.” 

Titus instantly stopped the work at which 
he was engaged, of polishing his weapons, and 
hastened with the chief engineer to Caesar’s 
headquarters^ L. Cornelius Balbus and other 
officers of Csesar’s engineering force were 
present, as well as several of the centurions, 
like Titus, who had shown aptitude for this 
line of work. 

The officers found their general seated in 
his tent with plans spread out before him. 
The commander-in-chief lost no time in pre¬ 
liminaries, but came at once to the subject up¬ 
permost in his mind. 

“ The bottom of the river here is suitable for 
driving piles,” he said. “ I propose to build a 
bridge across at this point. How long do you 
estimate it will take? ” 

The officers remained silent, for the task 

170 


BEYOND THE RHINE 


171 


seemed a tremendous one. The stream, be¬ 
tween four and five hundred yards wide, ran 
with a swiftly flowing current and a large 
volume of water. There was, to be sure, plenty 
of timber at hand readily available in the woods 
for the structure, but there was no equipment 
of heavy machinery with the army. To make 
speed in the march against the Germans, the 
baggage-train taken along was a light one. 
Superfluous equipment had been left behind. 
In fact, to bridge so large a river easily, would 
take more special machinery than Csesar had 
with him in Gaul. 

Caesar continued his questioning. You 
have built bridges before. Will no one venture 
a guess as to how many days the work will 
consume? What do you say, Mamurra? ” 

“ Have you devised your plan, sir? ” the 
knight inquired. “ A heavy bridge will take 
longer than a light one. We should build 
strongly here, I think.” 

“ Yes, the work must be firmly built,” said 
Csesar. “ Here is what I have in mind. Let 
us prepare stout piles, say a foot and a half 
thick, sharpened at the ends. These should be 
fastened together in pairs about two feet apart 


172 ON LAND AND SEA WITH CAESAR 


to make supports for heavy beams to be laid 
upon/’ 

The general held up a sketch he had drawn. 

“ They will look something like this,” he 
said, “ when they have been joined together. 
We shall drive one pair of piles down into the 
river-bed with rammers, setting them not per¬ 
pendicularly, but obliquely, their tops sloping 
slightly in the direction in which the current 
is flowing. Then just opposite the first pair, 
but down-stream, we shall place a second pair, 
with their tops sloping up-stream and against 
the current. When these two pairs of piles 
are firmly cross-braced, the force of the cur¬ 
rent will hold them together even more se¬ 
curely. As supports for the floor-work of the 
bridge we shall use beams two feet in thick¬ 
ness. This weight will force the supporting 
piles more deeply into the river-bottom. The 
second set of piles, farther out in the river, we 
shall build in a similar fashion, and so proceed 
across the stream, making the length of the 
piles according to the depth of the water.” 

“ Excellent,” exclaimed the Knight Ma- 
murra, with enthusiasm. “ I grasp the plan 
in all its details. It is entirely feasible. We 


BEYOND THE RHINE 


173 


can begin at once. Our chief difficulty will be 
to get the piles set in position, for the cur¬ 
rent is strong. Once they are in place, the 
building of the superstructure on them will be 
simple. How far apart do you wish the sets 
of braced piles to be? ” 

“ Let us make a roadway forty feet across. 
There is plenty of tall timber hereabouts. Set 
your piles at distances of forty feet from each 
other.” 

“ Good,” commented Mamurra. “ We 
shall begin immediately. Do you others all 
understand the details of how we are to go 
about building the bridge? ” he inquired of his 
assistant engineers. 

They assented. But some looked skeptical, 
thinking no doubt that it was easy enough to 
talk about forty-foot braees and beams two 
feet in thickness, but to prepare these great 
timbers and set them in place might prove 
more difficult than was anticipated. 

“ How much time will be required for the 
work? ” continued Ceesar. “ What do you say, 
Balbus? ” 

“It is hard to estimate,” replied the en¬ 
gineer. “ Much heavy timber is required. 


174 ON LAND AND SEA WITH CAESAR 

Three weeks, perhaps. We might do it in two 
weeks if the current does not hinder our op¬ 
erations too much.” 

Caesar frowned, but said nothing. 

‘‘ Let us not estimate the time,” suggested 
Mamurra, “ but push the work with all pos¬ 
sible speed. I think it can be done in less time 
than Balbus estimates.” 

“ Take full charge, then, Mamurra,” ordered 
Csesar. “ Begin at once and let there be no 
delay.” 

The conference broke up and the engineers 
departed to give directions to the lower of¬ 
ficers about the work to be assigned to the 
various groups of men who would have charge 
of the different operations of the construction 
work. 

Titus lingered as the men began to file out 
from Caesar’s tent, remaining to look at the 
sketches the general had made. These were 
complete in every detail, the drawings show¬ 
ing how the cross-beams and the flooring of 
the bridge were to be put above the supports 
Csesar had described to his engineers. When 
Caesar gave his attention to the study of a 
plan, not the smallest detail of it escaped his 


BEYOND THE RHINE 


175 


notice. He had in this case prepared full 
working plans. 

“ What are these for, sir? ” inquired the 
boy, pointing to a diagram that showed the 
construction of the pile-work that was to sup¬ 
port the bridge. 

“ Another set of piles braced together and 
placed on the up-stream side of each set of 
the supporting piles. You see, the current 
may bring down floating debris that will 
weaken the bridge if it strikes it with force. 
These additional piles will turn floating logs 
aside and send them through the open spaces 
between the bridge supports.” 

“ The enemy may try to interrupt our work, 
too,” suggested Titus. 

“Yes, I have thought of that,” said Caesar. 
“ It is possible that they will try to turn loose 
boats to dash against the bridge, but these pro¬ 
tecting piles will break the force of the blow. 
Is there anything you think of that might be 
an improvement? I have not given long study 
to this plan.” 

The boy studied the diagrams intently, mar¬ 
veling at the skill his leader had shown. 

“ Possibly some additional buttresses might 


176 ON LAND AND SEA WITH CAESAR 


be placed at the down-stream side of each set 
of piles, sir,” he ventured. 

“ Show me what you mean,” directed Csesar. 

“ Another log could be driven down into the 
river-bed a few feet below the pile, with the 
top braced against the first pile, slanting at a 
greater angle than the first one. Fastened se¬ 
curely to the whole work, such buttresses would 
give additional strength. We had a bridge at 
home that was built in this fashion across a 
mountain torrent, and it stood against all the 
spring freshets.” 

“ A good idea,” declared Caesar, pleased 
with the suggestion. “We will do it. Go 
inform Mamurra that I wish to have this done.” 

The work was started at once. The whole 
Roman encampment became a huge construc¬ 
tion camp; legionaries and allied soldiers, ser¬ 
vants and camp followers and all, were set at 
work. Some felled the trees and shaped the 
timbers. Others hauled them to the spot where 
they were to be used. Others, more skilful in 
construction work, set them in place. 

Mamurra, given the supervision of the task, 
was everywhere and under his watchful eye it 
was pushed along at top speed. No three 


BEYOND THE RHINE 


177 


weeks were spent at the work, as the doubters 
had suggested, not even two weeks passed from 
the time the first tree was felled till the last 
floor plank was laid, but on the evening of the 
tenth day Mamurra reported to Ceesar: 

“ The bridge is finished, sir. The army may 
cross to-morrow.” 

“ Well done. Your men have shown sur¬ 
prising speed.” The general was cordial in his 
praise. 

“ They all did well,” said the knight, “ but 
some seemed to take particular interest in see¬ 
ing in how short a time we could do the work. 
None more so than that young centurion, Titus 
Colenus.” 

‘‘ I have my eye on that young man,” said 
Cfiesar. “ He is a promising youth.” 

“ Promising? Yes, but he is a performer, 
too, and a good one,” declared Mamurra. 

It so happened that the opinion his leaders 
had of him was brought to Titus, for Julius 
had overheard the conversation between Csesar 
and Mamurra. 

Julius had been given special work at Cse- 
sar’s headquarters while Titus was busy with 
the engineering work at which he did so well. 


178 ON LAND AND SEA WITH CiESAR 


The Roman general, constant in his oversight 
of the construction work and thereby stimulat¬ 
ing his men to greater efforts, still found time 
to begin another work. 

“ I have a special task for you, Colenus,” 
said the general, when Julius had entered his 
tent in answer to a summons to report there. 
“ Your knowledge of the campaigns will be 
of value in what I propose to do. I shall be 
glad of any suggestion you may have to make 
as we proceed with the writing.” 

“ Writing? ” The boy looked puzzled. 

“ Yes. I have a few days’ leisure while the 
bridge work is going on and I am starting a 
project I have had in mind for some time—to 
write a series of commentaries on the campaign 
we are waging in Gaul, to send to Rome, so 
that my friends and enemies in the city may 
know what we are doing. I propose to give a 
straightforward chronicle of events from the 
beginning of the struggle. I have written let¬ 
ters to my friends in Rome before, you know, 
telling of the various battles. You have writ¬ 
ten some of them for me. But now I propose 
to write a connected narrative. I have enemies 
in Rome who distort the facts that reach the 



BEYOND THE RHINE 


179 


city from the front. They draw conclusions 
that are not true and they try to injure my 
standing with the Senate and the people. I 
shall give them a plain recital of the facts, 
note down the conferences we have with the 
barbarian leaders and state the terms we make 
with conquered tribes, perhaps describing also 
the territories we explore.’’ 


CHAPTER XV 


NEW PLANS 

Julius made ready his writing materials to 
take down the narrative Ceesar dictated. The 
story began with the beginning of the Gallic 
war. 

“ Gaul as a whole is divided into three parts,” 
it ran, “ one of which the Belgse inhabit, the 
Aquitani another, those who in their own 
language are called Celts, in ours Gauls, the 
third. All these differ from each other in 
language, customs and laws. The River Ga¬ 
ronne separates the Gauls from the Aquitani, 
the Marne and the Seine separate them from 
the Belgge. Of all of these, the Belgae are the 
bravest, because they are the farthest from the 
civilization and refinement of our Province and 
merchants least frequently resort to them and 
import those things which tend to effeminate 
the mind. They are the nearest to the Ger¬ 
mans, who dwell beyond the Rhine and with 
whom they are continually waging war, for 
which reason the Helvetii also surpass the rest 
of the Gauls in valor, as they contend with 
the Germans in almost daily battles, when they 

180 


) 


NEW PLANS 


181 


either repel them from their own territories or 
themselves wage wars on their frontiers. 

“ One part of these divisions, which it has 
been said the Gauls occupy, takes its begin¬ 
ning at the River Rhone. It is bounded by 
the River Garonne, the ocean and the terri¬ 
tories of the Belg£E. It borders, too, on the 
side of the Sequani and the Helvetii, upon the 
River Rhine and stretches towards the north. 
The Belgse rise from the extreme frontier of 
Gaul, extend to the lower part of the River 
Rhine and look towards the north and the ris¬ 
ing sun. Aquitani extends from the River 
Garonne to the Pyrenees mountains and to 
that part of the ocean which is near Spain. It 
looks between the setting of the sun and the 
north star.” 

Julius was thrilled with the new work of 
assisting his leader with the story of the ex¬ 
ploits they had been through. As it progressed, 
the tale brought back vivid recolleetions of his 
own experiences. He saw more clearly than 
ever before the meaning of the series of events 
in which he himself had taken part. 

In clear-cut, vigorous language Caesar de¬ 
veloped the narrative of his exploits, present¬ 
ing a series of word-pictures that fascinated 
his young centurion. The boy wrote on and 
on as his leader dictated. It was interesting 


182 ON LAND AND SEA WITH CAESAR 

work. He noticed that his leader did not take 
all the credit of his successes to himself, but 
mentioned his officers by name and commended 
them for the part they had played. Julius took 
special pleasure in recording the deeds of the 
comrades he knew well, among them his be¬ 
loved centurion, “ P. Sextius Baculus, a very 
valiant man,’' mentioned more than once for 
bravery. 

A message from Mamurra that the bridge 
had been completed put an end temporarily to 
the writing of the commentaries, for the time 
for active operations had come again. 

Julius was sent back to his place with his 
cohort. The army was marshaled in marching 
order and led across the bridge to begin the 
invasion of German soil. A strong guard was 
left behind to protect" the bridge. 

Frightened by the defeats that the Gallic 
and German tribes had met who tried to op¬ 
pose Caesar’s army, the Germans put up no 
resistance, but fled from the approach of the 
Roman forces far into the interior of their 
country. 

Several nations at once sent ambassadors to 
tender their submission. The Suevi, who had 



The army was led across the bridge.—P age 182 . 

Note the four representative figures, accurately shown to smallest detail: 
Centurion in front; Standard-liearer following; Legionary next in line; 

Tribune mounted. 







NEW PLANS 


183 


been threatening the Ubii with destruction, re¬ 
turned to strongholds in the deep woods far 
from the Rhine. Having given this protec¬ 
tion to the friendly Ubii and having accom¬ 
plished his purpose of striking terror into the 
Germans, Csesar decided to retire from the 
German territory, in which he had spent 
eighteen days. 

The army was led back across the bridge and 
the structure was destroyed. The wonder of 
the barbarians at its size and the speed with 
which it had been built would long remain. 

“ There will be a tale to tell of this exploit,” 
thought Julius, “ when we come to the proper 
place in the commentaries to tell about it.” 

The writing of the narrative of the Gallic 
war was continued by Ceesar on the return 
march from the Rhine. Even on the journey 
he would call Julius to him and dictate as they 
rode along, leaving their horses and being car¬ 
ried in riding-chairs borne on the shoulders of 
the servants. 

The general was displaying the most sur¬ 
prising energy in this season’s operations, the 
boy thought. What a mind he had! He could, 
and undoubtedly did, plan out his next bold 


184 ON LAND AND SEA WITH C^SAR 

stroke while directing the daily movements of 
his troops and at the same time was relating 
his experiences of the past two years. 

“ What do you think the latest plan is? ” 
Julius asked Titus one evening when the boys 
were alone together. 

“ I don’t know. ' What is it? ” 

“ We are to cross the water to the island of 
Britain to explore it.” 

“ Are you sure? ” asked Titus. 

“ Yes, Csesar has ordered one of the tribunes 
to take a war galley and make a scouting ex¬ 
pedition along the coast of the island to find 
out what harbors there are.” 

“ Who is it? ” 

“ Caius Volusenus. He was with us, you 
know, when we were attacked in Galba’s camp 
in the Alps. He is a bold fellow, a good one 
for such an adventure.” 

‘‘ Is the fleet being assembled to take our 
troops to Britain? ” 

“ Yes,” replied Julius. “ Orders have gone 
out to have the ships we used against the 
Veneti sent to Port Itius, one of the harbors 
of the Morini. Other ships from our allies are 
to be collected from all directions.” 


NEW PLANS 


185 


“ What is the idea of this trip to Britain? ” 
asked Titus. “ Isn’t it rather late in the year 
to begin a campaign now? ” 

“ The distance is not great. It is only a 
few hours’ sail. I do not know how far Csesar 
plans to march into the territory of the Britons, 
but it will be a help to him if we only enter 
the island, so that we may get a knowledge 
of the harbors and the landing-places and find 
out something about the people of the island, 
their character and customs, and their methods 
of war.” 

“ The Britons have given aid to the Gauls 
in their campaign against us,” said Titus. 
“We can, at any rate, impress them with a 
display of our forces. It is so near winter, I 
don’t believe we shall make any extended cam¬ 
paign in the island.” 

“ Perhaps not,” said Julius, “ but won’t it 
be great to make such a trip? I am wild to go, 
aren’t you? ” 

“I’m not so enthusiastic as you appear to 
be,” replied his cousin, “ but it will be a new 
adventure. We may see strange sights. No¬ 
body seems to know much about the Britons or 
their country.” 


186 ON LAND AND SEA WITH CJESAR 


“ I think it is strange we can’t learn any 
more,” said Julius. “ Caesar has had lots of 
the Gauls visit him at his headquarters and he 
has asked them to tell all they know about the 
country. He has questioned the merchants, 
tooy but he can’t find out much. Either they 
do not want to tell, or else they do not get 
very far into the country. Perhaps they only 
make a landing to pick up what merchandise 
they can and come right back again.” 

The Roman army reached the coast at Port 
Itius, the modern Boulogne, and found the 
harbor full of activity. Many ships had as¬ 
sembled and were being put in order for the 
voyage. Supplies for the expedition were be¬ 
ing assembled. 

The Britons had in some way learned of the 
plans for the expedition and when Ceesar 
reached the harbor he found ambassadors from 
the Britons waiting for him with offers to sub¬ 
mit to his authority. 

The ambassadors were courteously received 
and Comius was sent back with them to their 
country on their return. Comius was a Gallic 
chief whom Csesar’s influence had made king 
of the Atrebates. His reputation was high 


NEW PLANS 


187 


among the leading Britons. His orders from 
Caesar were to visit as many of the British 
tribes as he could, to inform them of Csesar’s 
exploits, to tell what sort of people the Ro¬ 
mans were, to satisfy them that the newcomers 
would be friends and to let the Britons know 
that Cgesar in person would shortly arrive 
among them. 

Meanwhile Volusenus returned from his ex¬ 
ploring trip, having been gone only five days. 
He had not made a landing on the island, 
catching only a glimpse of the coast. He had 
seen and could tell but little. 

The transports in the harbor numbered 
eighty, enough to carry two legions, together 
with a number of war galleys to serve as es¬ 
corts. The tenth legion under Labienus and 
the seventh under Galba were selected for the 
expedition. The rest of the army was to be 
left in Gaul under command of Titurius Sa- 
binus and Arunculeius Cotta to keep in re¬ 
straint the Morini and Menapii, who might 
cause trouble in the rear while Csesar was 
away. The garrison left in the harbor was 
placed in command of Sulpicius Rufus. 

Great was Julius’ disappointment at being 


188 ON LAND AND SEA WITH CAESAR 


left behind on land. He had counted on being 
in on the great adventure across the water. 

“ Why did Caesar choose to take the seventh 
legion with him? ’’ he lamented. “ He knows 
our twelfth legion is a lot better in every way.” 

“ Oh, never mind,” said Titus. “ You 
won’t be seasick here on land. See how rough 
the water is in the channel. They say it is a 
terribly hard voyage, even if it is a short one. 
Ciesar has had to wait now several days for this 
gale to cease, but the wind comes up again 
every few days. I am content to stay here.” 

“ But I am not,” rejoined Julius. “ I want 
to go to Britain. I want to be on the first ex¬ 
pedition, too.” 

Orders came to the men of the seventh and 
tenth legions to be ready to embark on the 
transports at the first favorable wind. 


CHAPTER XVI 


INTO UNKNOWN SEAS 

All was bustle and seeming confusion 
aboard the transports. The confusion, how¬ 
ever, was more apparent than real, for the 
well-trained soldiers of the tenth and seventh 
legions marched aboard the waiting ships with 
the precision that comes from long experience. 

It was a bright morning late in August. 
The wind blew towards the shores of Britain 
and sailing orders had come. The sailors 
stood at their posts, ready to cast off as soon as 
the legionaries had embarked. 

“ Well, Gametius,” said a centurion of the 
tenth legion to its veteran standard-bearer, 
“ here we are in the lead, as usual. Caesar 
never fails to take his favorite tenth legion with 
him when there are new fields to conquer, 
does he? ” 

“ We’re always first,” replied the standard- 
bearer. “ I can’t say that I anticipate much 

pleasure from this trip, though.” 

189 


190 ON LAND AND SEA WITH CMSAll 

“ Why not? New worlds to conquer, you 
know.” 

“ Conquer? Perhaps so, later. How much 
of a conquest do you think two legions can 
make? ” 

“We shall probably only explore the coun¬ 
try to begin with,” said the centurion. “ Come, 
let’s stand in the bow of the vessel. Who will 
be the first to sight the new land? It is only a 
short voyage, a few hours if the wind holds 
good.” 

“ I will join you in a moment,” said Game- 
tius. “ I want to look after my baggage in 
the hold.” 

The standard-bearer left the deck and went 
below. Finding his baggage arranged to suit 
him, he was turning to climb on deck again 
when he thought he heard his name called. 

“ What? ” he said. 

“ Gametius, is it you? ” 

“ Yes. Who is there? Who wants me? ” 

“ It is I,” said Julius, coming out from his 
hiding-place, deep in the hold. 

“What, Julius!” exclaimed Gametius, in 
surprise. “ How did you get here? What 
are you doing? ” 


INTO UNKNOWN SEAS 


191 


“ Going with you to Britain, of course,” said 
the boy, “ I came on board with the rest of 
you.” 

“ Why, you are foolish,” said the veteran. 
“ You’ll be disciplined for this. Your place is 
with your own cohort. You may lose your 
rank.” 

I don’t care. It is worth it. I was dying 
to take part in this expedition into unknown 
seas. I just came along without saying any¬ 
thing to any one.” 

“ I thought so,” said Gametius. “ Well, 
they can’t put you off the ship now, anyway. 
Come on deck and let the officers know you are 
on board. It is lucky you didn’t get on Caesar’s 
ship. He might have ordered you dropped 
overboard.” 

They went on deck and Julius reported his 
presence to a centurion of the tenth legion. 
The officer made little comment and Gametius 
and his young companion made their way to 
the side of the ship that looked out upon the 
sea. The points of vantage near the prow 
were already occupied, but they found a posi¬ 
tion at the rail near the waist of the ship. 

The water in the channel was made rough by 


192 ON LAND AND SEA WITH CAESAR 


a brisk wind. Short, choppy waves made the 
vessels pitch in an alarming manner. The 
helmsmen had hard work to keep their craft 
upon the course, for cross currents were en¬ 
countered as they sailed on. 

“ Look, what a sight our fleet makes! ” ex¬ 
claimed Julius, with enthusiasm. “ And we 
are out of sight of land already. I have never 
been so far upon the water before. Isn’t it 
glorious? ” 

“ It’s glorious to be young,” remarked Ga- 
metius. “ I wish I could feel as you do.” 

“ Why, what’s the matter? You look pale,” 
said the boy, gazing at his older companion. 

“ I don’t know,” replied Gametius. “ I 
don’t feel well. Something I have eaten must 
have disagreed with me.” 

Gametius was not the only soldier on whom 
the tossing waves were beginning to have their 
effect. Scores of others were experiencing the 
same feeling of seasickness and before long a 
good portion of the legionaries were in misery. 

Those among them who proved themselves 
better sailors still clung to their posts by the 
rail to watch for land, but as the hours wore on, 
they became more and more in the minority, 


INTO UNKNOWN SEAS 


193 


while their companions with weak stomachs lay 
upon the decks or in the holds, wishing their 
ends would come, a seasick, miserable lot of 
men. 

Julius kept his place upon the deck, moving 
forward as room was made by those who had 
to lie down, till he worked his way to the very 
prow of the boat. At length the shore of Brit¬ 
ain came into view. High, white cliffs ap¬ 
peared as the Roman ships sailed on. 

The sea washed about the very base of the 
chalk cliffs, and seeing there was no fit place 
for a safe landing here, Ceesar ordered his fleet 
to sail along the coast. After some three 
hours’ sail, the Roman vessels rounded a lofty 
promontory and came to a spot where there 
was a shelving, sandy beach. 

The landing was not to be unopposed, for 
the Britons had assembled on the shore in great, 
numbers. They were fully armed and it could 
be seen that they expected to make an attack 
as soon as the legionaries had landed. Some 
did not even wait for a landing to be made, but 
advancing into the water, began to hurl spears 
upon the ships. The transports drew too much 
water to get close to shore on the shelving 


194 ON LAND AND SEA WITH C^SAR 


beach. It would be difficult for the legion¬ 
aries, laden with their heavy armor, and 
obliged to carry their camp supplies, to reach 
the shore if they were to have to fight an active 
and light-armed enemy in waist-deep water. 

To create a diversion, Caesar ordered some 
of the accompanying war galleys to row into a 
cove near by, where a flank attack could be 
made on the Britons, and from that position to 
sling stones and shoot arrows into their ranks 
with the engines carried on the galleys. 

This manoeuver made the Britons retire 
some distance up the beach, out of range of the 
Roman artillery. Still the legionaries showed 
little disposition to make a landing. Worn 
out with the rough voyage across the channel 
and most of them still suffering the effects of 
their seasickness, the soldiers were far from 
displaying their usual vigor in the face of the 
enemy. 

“ This is strange fighting,” exclaimed Ju¬ 
lius, standing beside Gametius on the deck. 
“ It’s neither a fight on land nor a naval battle. 
I never saw the like.” 

‘‘ But we must land and make a fight of it,” 
declared Gametius. “ What ails our men, I 


INTO UNKNOWN SEAS 


195 


wonder? They seem afraid. The gods will 
be with us. I must seek their aid.” 

With an excitement that was strange in him, 
the veteran standard-bearer uttered a supplica¬ 
tion to his gods that the affair might turn out 
well for the legion, then raising his voice so 
that all on his ship and on others near by might 
hear, he cried out: 

“ Leap, fellow-soldiers, unless you wish to 
betray your eagle to the enemy. I, for my 
part, will perform my duty to the common¬ 
wealth and to my general.” 

He leaped into the sea, bearing aloft the 
cherished standard, and made his way towards 
the beach. “ Come, Julius,” he shouted. 
“ Remember your soldier’s oath. Will you 
come with me? ” 

The boy plunged in instantly after his 
friend, shouting to others to come on. 

“ Follow Gametius,” ordered a centurion. 
‘‘ Will you let this disgrace come on us? Will 
you permit your eagle to fall into the hands of 
the enemy? ” 

Encouraging each other to take the risk and 
show the stuff they were made of, the legion¬ 
aries who had been fellow-passengers with 


196 ON LAND AND SEA WITH CJESAR 


Gametius and Julius leaped overboard as one 
man and followed after them. Those on other 
vessels, seeing them wade boldly on, plunged 
into the water after them. 

The footing was treacherous. The slipping 
sand made the heavily-weighted men stumble, 
while the water impeded their movements. 
Once the men in the rear saw Gametius almost 
fall, the eagle-crowned standard dipping in the 
waves, but Julius caught his arm and steadied 
him. 

The enemy dashed at the struggling men in 
the water, not only the unmounted Britons, but 
their horsemen as well, the animals apparently 
being trained to go into the water. The 
Britons had charioteers with them also, who 
rode in their chariots at the harassed Romans. 
Acquainted with all the shallows along the 
coast, the Britons had great advantage, while 
the legionaries had to struggle on as best they 
might towards shore, not knowing whether the 
water was deep or shallow. 

It was impossible to maintain ranks. In 
confused disorder the legionaries pushed on. 
As scattered groups reached shallow water 
where they could maintain their footing, they 


INTO UNKNOWN SEAS 


197 


were charged upon by the horsemen and the 
charioteers, who tried to surround them and 
cut them off. Meanwhile, the infantry of the 
enemy showered the legionaries with darts, at¬ 
tacking on their exposed flank. The battle was 
pressed with vigor on both sides. 

Seeing the distress of his landing party, 
Csesar ordered up the war galleys to the assist¬ 
ance of his men. These vessels, new to the 
Britons, and carrying strange engines, created 
consternation among the enemy. At length a 
sufficient body of legionaries reached dry 
ground to make a charge, driving back the 
enemy. 

Pursuit of the fleeing Britons could not be 
kept up, however, because the cavalry that ac¬ 
companied the expedition had not arrived. 
Embarked on eighteen transports, this body 
of four hundred and fifty cavalry had sailed 
from a different port from the one at which 
Csesar started with the legionaries. Start¬ 
ing late, they had been delayed by head¬ 
winds and had not been able to keep up with 
the rest of the transports. Later it was 
learned that they had returned to Gaul, hav¬ 
ing encountered a storm that nearly wrecked 


198 ON LAND AND SEA WITH CAESAR 

the vessels. Caesar ordered the war galleys 
to be drawn up upon the beach, while the 
eighty transports on which the legionaries had 
sailed were anchored off the shore opposite 
the spot where Gametius had led the landing- 
party, being too heavy to be beached easily. 

Upon a height near by the Romans fortified 
a camp. 


CHAPTER XVII 


ON BRITAIN'S SHORES 

The same night of the landing, Csesar called 
his officers to him and conferred with them 
about the plans for the campaign against the 
Britons. 

“ Who was the soldier who led the men from 
the ships to the shore? ” the general inquired 
of one of his tribunes, Caius Volusenus. 
“ Was it the standard-bearer of the tenth le¬ 
gion? It looked to me as if he bore the eagle.” 

“ It was,” replied the tribune. He then re¬ 
lated the exploit of Gametius, praising him 
for his boldness when his fellow-soldiers hung 
back. 

“ Have him brought here to me,” ordered 
Csesar, “ and have the soldier who was with 
him come, too. I saw two struggling on 
through the water together in advance of the 
rest.” 

The order was carried out and Gametius and 
Julius were soon in Csesar’s presence. 

‘‘ Why, Colenus,” the general exclaimed in 

199 


200 ON LAND AND SEA WITH CAESAR 


surprise, as he saw his young aide-de-camp 
enter the tent with the aged standard-bearer, 
“ I am astonished to see you here with the 
tenth legion. Who sent you aboard the trans¬ 
port? ” 

“No one, sir,” replied the boy, hanging his 
head in shame, expecting a reprimand. “ I 
went aboard of my own accord when the troops 
embarked.” 

“And it was you who led the advance up the 
beach with Gametius? ” inquired Csesar. 

“ It was, sir,” broke in Gametius. “ He 
was the first one overboard. He followed me 
when all the rest hung back.” 

“ Then you both shall share in the reward I 
have to give,” Csesar went on. “ The example 
you two set to the other soldiers deserves a spe¬ 
cial present.” 

The gifts were purses of gold. Gametius 
and Julius, overwhelmed at their leader’s gen¬ 
erosity, stammered out their thanks and turned 
to leave the tent. 

“ Wait, Colenus,” said Csesar. “As long as 
you are here, I will attach you to my staff 
again. You may report to me at headquarters 
to-morrow.” 


ON BRITAIN’S SHORES 


201 


“ There, Gametius,” said Julius, when they 
had left Caesar’s tent, “ you guessed wrong. 
You said Caesar would throw me overboard or 
take away my rank. Look at what he has 
given to us.” 

Gametius weighed with his hand the heavy 
purse of gold. “ It’s more wealth than I ever 
had in my life before at one time,” he said. 
“You must not jump overboard again with 
this weight on you. You would surely sink.” 

“ Never you fear,” said Julius. “ I shall 
take good care of it. What a weight of gold! 
How generous Csesar is to those who win his 
favor.” 

Julius shared Gametius’ tent with him that 
night, reporting in the morning to the general’s 
headquarters, as he had been ordered. 

The next few days were busy ones for the 
headquarters staff. The defeated tribes of the 
Britons sent ambassadors to sue for peace. 
With them came Comius, the Gallic chief 
whom Csesar had sent to Britain ahead of him. 
The Britons had seized him and put him in 
chains, but now the leading men of the tribes 
near the coast attempted to excuse their con¬ 
duct, saying the people were responsible for 


202 ON LAND AND SEA WITH C2ESAR 


the violence to Comius, against the wishes of 
the leaders. 

Csesar, knowing full well that the chieftains 
of the Britons had power enough to compel 
their people to do whatever they wished, con¬ 
sidered it to be wise under the circumstances to 
conciliate the British chiefs, so he accepted 
their excuses and made terms of peace. Some 
hostages were delivered to him and more were 
promised. In four days after the landing an 
agreement of peace had been made with the 
tribes on the shores of Kent. 

It was the season of full moon and the tides 
were high along the coast. A gale of wind 
sprang up, raising heavy seas that dashed the 
Roman ships against each other as they lay in 
their anchorage offshore. While the storm 
was at its height the crews of the transports 
could do nothing to prevent the damage, and 
many of the ships were nearly wrecked. All 
lost sails and rigging. The high seas rolled far 
up on the beach and filled the war galleys that 
had been drawn up on it. 

The two legions, fortunately, had many ex¬ 
pert shipwrights in their ranks. The damage 
was quickly repaired, taking the seasoned tim- 


ON BRITAIN’S SHORES 203 

ber and metal from the worst-wrecked vessels 
to repair the others. Only twelve remained 
unfit for further use. A ship was sent back to 
Gaul for extra rigging to replace what had 
been lost. 

“ Do you know, Gametius,” said Julius, 
“ that we are in a ticklish position? The 
Britons are beginning to suspect that we are 
helpless here, with such a small army, so far 
from our base of supplies and not much of a 
store of provisions with us. They are start¬ 
ing to leave the camp and probably are begin¬ 
ning to stir up mischief among their people. 
They have delayed about bringing in the re¬ 
quired hostages.” 

“ I realize that we are in considerable dan¬ 
ger,” said Gametius. “ The men in the ranks 
are beginning to be disturbed. Think what a 
plight we should be in if a bigger storm came 
up and wrecked all our ships. I wish we had 
a force of cavalry with us. They would be 
very useful in scouting, to learn what is going 
on in the country back from the coast. I fear 
there is trouble brewing.” 

“ I know there is,” declared Julius. 

Their fears were realized, for the Britons 


204 ON LAND AND SEA WITH CJESAR 


soon made an attack. Thinking that the op¬ 
portunity was favorable to crush the small 
body of Romans, who might never again come 
to their island if once repulsed, they secretly 
assembled fighting men in the vicinity of the 
camp. The outward signs of peace were kept 
up and there was a daily coming and going of 
the inhabitants of the island to the Roman 
camp. 

Suspecting the designs of the Britons, al¬ 
though he had no positive information about 
them, Caesar saw to it that the discipline among 
his soldiers was rigidly enforced and that 
everything was in readiness for an attack. Fur- 
ther than this he could do nothing. 

One day when the seventh legion had gone 
out to. forage for wheat, a surprise attack was 
made upon its men while they were scattered, 
filling the sacks with grain. The legionaries 
promptly rallied in a central point to resist the 
attack, finding themselves penned in on all 
sides. 

The Britons were out in numbers. Their 
infantry kept at a safe distance and discharged 
spears and arrows at the legionaries, keeping 
up a prodigious shouting. Their chariots 


ON BRITAIN’S SHORES 


205 


clashed about the line of battle, now and then 
making a furious onslaught on the Roman 
ranks, then wheeling suddenly and retiring. 
The charioteers displayed the most amazing 
skill in cheeking their horses when charging at 
full speed, running out along the pole, fighting 
on foot for a time and then springing back 
again to their chariots. 

The wheels of their vehicles had projecting 
from the hubs long, curved scythe-blades. 
Terrible weapons of execution these blades 
looked. What would happen in the ranks, 
thought the legionaries, if the charioteers 
should dash through them, mowing down men 
in swaths like standing grass? These engines 
of destruction could open wide gaps in the 
close formation of the legion’s ranks. But the 
fears of the Romans were not realized, for the 
Britons did not drive their wicked-looking 
chariots to close quarters among them. The 
sight was awe-inspiring, however, as the skil¬ 
ful drivers whirled about the battle-front, now 
coursing up and down the line at top speed, 
now driving straight towards it with a fearful 
clatter, then wheeling sharply to retreat, all the 
while the bright metal of the scythe-blades 


206 ON LAND AND SEA WITH CAESAR 

flashing in the sunlight. Both sound and 
sight of these chariots of the Britons were terri¬ 
fying. 

The suddenness of the attack, the constant 
shouting and the tactics of the charioteers, 
against whom the legionaries were unaccus¬ 
tomed to flghting, nearly caused a panic 
among the men of the seventh legion. They 
were on the point of being overpowered when 
Ca3sar came to their relief. 

Noticing from the camp that great clouds of 
dust were rising, the Roman general suspected 
that something was wrong. He ordered the 
cohorts of the tenth legion which were on duty 
at the camp to go with him and hastened to the 
field of battle. 

Led by Csesar in person, the reinforcements 
made a sharp attack upon the enemy and drove 
them back. The seventh legion, which had 
suffered heavy losses, was escorted back to 
camp, where the fortifications were strength¬ 
ened and everything was made ready to resist 
a prolonged attack. 

Bad weather came on, heavy rains prevent¬ 
ing any activity by either army for several 
days. When the sun shone again, the Britons 


ON BRITAIN’S SHORES 


207 


appeared in force before the camp and Csesar 
led his legions out to offer battle. 

The Britons pressed on to attack, but were 
not able to penetrate the steady Roman lines. 
They fled and were pursued by the legionaries. 
Cgesar, wishing to save his men, did not allow 
them to pursue far, but ordered a return to 
the camp. 

The Britons sued for peace again. After 
doubling the number of hostages they were to 
give, CsdssLY agreed to make peace, demanding 
that the hostages be sent to him in Gaul, to 
which he was to return. The autumn equinox 
had come, and with it the usual stormy weather 
might be expected. 

The two legions were embarked upon the 
transports and a return voyage was made to 
the continent. 

The Romans had made a stay of three weeks 
in Britain. 

The return voyage was made in safety, but 
two ships were carried farther down the coast 
than the rest and three hundred men who had 
sailed on them were attacked while on the 
march to join the main army. Six thousand 
warriors of the Morini surrounded the little 


208 ON LAND AND SEA WITH CJESAR 


band for four hours, till dispersed by a force 
of cavalry sent out by Ceesar. 

The two legions that had been in Britain, 
the tenth and seventh, were sent on an ex¬ 
pedition to punish the Morini for this attack. 
After the rebellious tribe had been brought to 
terms, the legions were quartered there for the 
winter, among the Belgians. 

The winter months were spent in building 
ships for another expedition to Britain. Ceesar 
himself gave directions for the construction of 
the new boats on a somewhat different model, 
to make them better adapted to the use to 
which they were to be put. They were laid 
out with a broader beam than the transports 
used in the first crossing of the channel and 
with lower sides, so that cavalry and heavy 
camp supplies could be loaded and unloaded 
more easily. The draft was less, so that the 
ships might approach closer to the shore. The 
new vessels were fitted with both sails and 
oars. 

The legionaries proved themselves capable 
shipwrights and before Caesar returned from 
his winter duties in his provinces they had con¬ 
structed a fleet of six hundred transports and 


ON BRITAIN’S SHORES 


209 


twenty-eight war galleys, all ready for launch¬ 
ing. 

To the new and old transports and warships 
were added a number of private sailing ves¬ 
sels used by the friendly Gauls in their com¬ 
mercial enterprises, so that the Roman fleet 
numbered eight hundred vessels in all when 
spring came. 

“We have a big enough fleet now,” said 
Titus, who had been engaged in the super¬ 
vision of the shipbuilding enterprise. 

“ Yes,” said Julius. “We can transport the 
whole army to Britain this year.” 


CHAPTER XVIII 


A DIFFICULT CAMPAIGN 

“ The wind is favorable to-day,” said Julius. 
“ We shall probably get sailing orders soon.” 

“Yes,” said Titus, “our long wait of 
twenty-five days is ended, I do believe. It 
is the first morning for nearly a month that 
the breeze has been from the right quarter.” 

The boys were astir at daylight; as usual, 
and it had become their habit to look for the 
direction of the wind the very first thing they 
did on getting up. Both were anxious to have 
the fleet sail and were annoyed at the delay, 
Titus because it would be his first trip across 
the channel to Britain, and Julius, because he 
was eager to see more of the island to which 
he had made the exploring trip the previous 
autumn. 

The month of June was nearly ended. Most 

of it had been spent by Cassar in a march with 

four legions against the Treveri, near the River 

Rhine, who had risen in revolt against the 

210 


A DIFFICULT CAMPAIGN 


211 


Roman authority and were threatening serious 
trouble. 

The revolt had been stirred up by Indutio- 
marus, a noble of the Treveri, who had en¬ 
gaged in a contest for the leadership of the 
tribe with his son-in-law, Cingetorix, a great 
friend of Ceesar. The former collected an 
army and prepared to fight, after placing all 
the old men, women, and children in the vast 
Ardennes forest, where they would be safe in 
time of war. 

But just before open war had begun, many 
of the lesser chiefs who had attached them¬ 
selves to Indutiomarus began to fear the out¬ 
come of a struggle, hearing that Caesar was 
marching towards them, and deserted the rebel 
leader. When the Roman army arrived, it 
was found that Indutiomarus had decided to 
submit. Caesar ordered the chief power to be 
given to Cingetorix. 

This solution of the trouble brought peace 
for the time being, but it roused the deep re¬ 
sentment of Indutiomarus and made him a 
bitter enemy of the Romans, a circumstance 
that was to lead to more serious trouble later, 
for there were other Gallic chieftains, who, 


212 ON LAND AND SEA WITH CAESAR 

deprived of power, were growing restive under 
the Roman rule and were biding their time to 
join forces together in a common uprising 
against Caesar. 

Titus and Julius, hearing of the strife be¬ 
tween the leaders of the Treveri, sought out 
Baculus to ask him what its meaning might 
be, for the centurion was well informed on 
political affairs among the Gauls and could 
usually explain circumstances that looked puz¬ 
zling. 

‘‘ It is easy to see that the strife among the 
Gauls will continue,” he said. “ They are 
jealous of each other and are always quar¬ 
reling, frequently engaging in civil war. 
Caesar is trying to stop this practice and bring 
about a more orderly government in the 
country. Of course, to do this, he has to take 
sides between contending chieftains, although 
he disturbs the local government of the tribes 
just as little as he can.” 

“ And that makes bitter enemies of some of 
the leading nobles,” remarked Titus. 

“ Exactly,” said Baculus. “ That is just 
what has happened now. Cingetorix and his 
supporters are pleased, of course, and will be 


A DIFFICULT CAMPAIGN 


213. 


loyal to us, but Indutiomarus must be watched 
in the future. He may stir up other tribes to 
revolt. It doesn’t take much of a blaze to 
kindle a great conflagration when conditions 
are right. We may see revolt flame up all over 
the land some day.” 

“ The ^duans have always been friendly to 
us,” said Julius, “ but even among them there 
are some leaders who are decidedly hostile. 
There’s Dumnorix, for example.” 

“ Yes,” continued Baculus. “ Dumnorix is 
a trouble-maker with considerable influence. 
He has been ordered to go on this coming trip 
to Britain with us, just as a large number of 
the Gallic chieftains have. I think it is be¬ 
cause Caesar fears what they may do in his 
absence if he leaves them behind, rather than 
because they will be of any special help to us 
in Britain.” 

“ They are really taken along as hostages 
for the good behavior of their people, instead 
of as allies,” said Titus. 

‘‘ It amounts to just about that,” said Bacu¬ 
lus. “ It has made some of them quite angry, 
too. I saw Dumnorix yesterday and he looked 
ugly enough for anything.” 


214 ON LAND AND SEA WITH CAESAR 


Dumnorix, aiming at the leadership of the 
^duan nation, held by his brother, Divitiacus, 
had a great stake to play for, because the 
Hilduans held the supremacy over all the other 
tribes in Gaul. The one who ruled over the 
jiEduans had as complete authority over all 
the tribes of Gaul as any man could have in 
the loosely-knit union of the Gallic nations. 

To be able to work out his political schemes 
unhindered while Caesar was away, Dumnorix 
used all the influence he could to persuade the 
Roman general to leave him behind. Cgesar 
was firm in his refusal and the jEduan noble, 
angered, rode away from camp with all the 
.^duan cavalry, of which he was in com¬ 
mand. 

This open defiance of his authority could not 
be overlooked and Csesar sent his horsemen in 
pursuit at once, with orders to bring Dumnorix 
back, alive or dead. The fugitives were over¬ 
taken and Dumnorix was slain. 

To maintain order in Gaul, Labienus was 
left behind with three legions and four thou¬ 
sand cavalry. The lieutenant was directed, 
also, to keep the army in Britain supplied with 
provisions. Cgesar embarked with five legions 


A DIFFICULT CAMPAIGN 


215 


and two thousand cavalry on the transports 
and set sail for the shore of Britain. 

The start was made at sunset the twentieth 
day of July. The fleet of eight hundred ves¬ 
sels was favored with a southwest breeze till 
midnight. Then the wind died down, but by 
rowing, the transports made the coast of 
Britain in the morning. 

The ships had been carried by the wind 
somewhat off their course, too far to the north, 
so they were rowed back along the shore and 
about midday a landing was made at a favor¬ 
able spot. 

This time the landing was unopposed by the 
Britons, who were frightened to see the enor¬ 
mous number of vessels in the Roman armada. 
No such fleet had ever visited their shores be¬ 
fore. 

After disembarking his troops in safety, 
Caesar stationed a guard of ten cohorts, two 
from each legion, and three hundred horsemen 
with the ships and taking the rest of his army 
with him, he marched by night towards a place, 
twelve miles distant, where prisoners had told 
him the enemy lay encamped. 

The advance-guard of the enemy, chariots 


216 ON LAND AND SEA WITH C^SAR 

and horsemen, was met at a ford on a small 
stream and was easily defeated. Pushing on, 
the Roman army reached the enemy’s fort in 
the early morning hours. An attack by the 
seventh legion captured it. 

Next day, a pursuit after the enemy was 
ordered in force. Three legions had marched 
out of the camp and the twelfth was just on 
the point of marching out through the gate 
when a mounted messenger from the camp on 
the coast dashed up. 

“What tidings?” asked Julius, the first 
centurion the horseman approached. 

“ Another terrible storm has wrecked our 
ships,” the man replied. 

“ How many are destroyed? ” inquired 
Julius. 

“Forty are so badly damaged I do not 
think they can be repaired, and hundreds of 
others have been rendered useless for the time 
being,” was the reply. 

The messenger rode on to report to Ceesar, 
who immediately called off the pursuit of the 
enemy and hastened back to the coast with all 
his forces. 

The damage to the fleet of transports had 


A DIFFICULT CAMPAIGN 


217 


not been overestimated by the messenger. The 
ships were a sorry sight, with rigging torn 
and planking smashed, as the vessels that had 
been riding at anchor were dashed against 
each other by the furious storm. 

The legionaries were set at work to haul all 
the ships up on the beach, out of reach of the 
waves, and a strong line of earthworks was 
thrown up about them. This task occupied 
ten days and nights of ceaseless toil. Orders 
were sent to Labienus in Gaul to have addi¬ 
tional ships built, while the shipwrights with 
Csesar’s army were set at work to repair the 
broken transports. 

After the delay caused by the disaster to 
the fleet, Caesar marched again against the 
Britons in the interior of the country. The 
barbarians had assembled at the River Thames 
a strong army under Cassivelaunus, one of the 
ablest of their chieftains. 

Success was gained by the Roman forces in 
the small battles by which the campaign was 
fought and soon the Britons began to desert 
their leader. Several tribes returned to their 
homes and sent ambassadors to Caesar to make 
terms of peace. 


218 ON LAND AND SEA WITH CJESAR 


Cassivelaunus, with a force of four thousand 
charioteers and a small body of infantry, kept 
up the war. Not being strong enough to meet 
the legions in battle, he made skilful use of 
his forces in retreat, taking all the non-com¬ 
batants, cattle, and provisions to places of 
safety, and harassing the Roman columns on 
the march by ambuscades and sudden attacks 
by his warriors in their chariots. 

The Gallic horsemen that Csesar had with 
him proved no match for the charioteers in the 
numerous small engagements they had. These 
charioteers did not act in large bodies, but in 
small squads, relying upon their individual 
horsemanship, which was superb. Their brav¬ 
ery in the face of superior numbers was such 
that it won the admiration of the Romans. 
Although always checked in their attacks be¬ 
fore they could win a decisive victory, the 
British warriors always made good their es¬ 
cape when pursued. 

Such skirmishes were kept up all summer, 
the tactics of the enemy making it difficult for 
the Romans to forage for provisions, because 
any small bodies of cavalry or infantry sent 
out were sure to be attacked. Against the 


A DIFFICULT CAMPAIGN 219 

legions in force the Britons refused to make a 
stand. 

The end of August had come. No decisive 
battle had been fought and no clear-cut victory 
had been gained by the Romans, even though 
they had penetrated quite deeply into the 
enemy’s territory. However, Cassivelaunus 
had been weakened by the submission to Csesar 
of several of the most powerful tribes in the 
southeast section of the island. 

The leader of the Britons in the field retired 
still farther into the interior of the country and 
sent messengers to the tribes in Kent to urge 
them to attack the Roman camp on the coast 
and destroy the transports. 

Titus and Julius had taken little part in 
the fighting of the summer’s campaign, for they 
had been stationed most of the time with the 
fortified camp that protected the fleet. Titus, 
assisting the other engineers in the strengthen¬ 
ing of the fortifications and the repairs on the 
ships, had plenty to do, buk Julius found the 
time hanging heavy on his hands. 

“ I wish we might get into action,” he said. 
“ This job of guarding the camp all summer 
isn’t to my liking.” 


220 ON LAND AND SEA WITH CAESAR 


“We can’t choose our work,” said Titus. 
“ It is important enough to protect the rear, 
even if we don’t get into the fighting. Think 
what a disaster it would be if the enemy should 
burn up our ships and leave us stranded here 
on the island.” 

“ Yes, I realize all that,” replied his cousin, 
“ but why shouldn’t Caesar change the legions 
about more and give us our chance to see the 
country? Here we’ve been for a solid month 
in camp and all we know about what is going 
on at the front is what we learn from the 
wounded who are sent back.” 

“You ought to be proud of the reliance 
Ca?sar places on our twelfth legion,” said Titus. 
“He leaves us all alone to guard this big camp 
against attack. He thinks we are good enough 
to do the work he detached two full legions for 
in the early part of the summer.” 

The conversation of the two young cen¬ 
turions was interrupted by a cry of alarm from 
a sentry on the camp walls. 

“ What is it? ” they shouted, running up to 
the guard. 

“ Look there,” the sentry exclaimed, point¬ 
ing to the woods a half-mile distant. 


A DIFFICULT CAMPAIGN 


221 


“ Armed forces,” declared Titus. ‘‘ The 
woods are full of them. We are to be attacked. 
Spread the alarm.” 

Before the words were out of his mouth, 
Julius was off on a run to find Baculus, the 
first centurion. 

“ Blow the trumpets,” he shouted. “ We 
are attacked.” 

The peaceful camp awoke instantly to 
feverish activity. Sharp blasts rang out from 
the trumpets, calling the legionaries to arms. 
They hastened from the tents or from the 
ships at which they were at work. 

Baculus took command and quickly mar¬ 
shaled his men in ranks. The attack had been 
begun upon the southwest corner of the long 
line of fortifications that surrounded the 
beached transports and war galleys, extending 
more than a mile along the shore. Six cohorts 
with nearly full ranks were quickly formed 
by Baculus, who ordered some men to close 
the gates and others to mount the camp walls 
to meet the enemy’s attack. 

No tribunes were at hand when the first 
onslaught was made, for they happened to be 
at the farther extremity of the fortifications. 


222 ON LAND AND SEA WITH CiESAR 

But Baculus, not waiting for orders from any 
superior officer, planned the movements for de¬ 
fense. 

Mounting on one of the towers on the walls, 
he surveyed the scene of action. The enemy’s 
force was large, how large could not be deter¬ 
mined at first glance, for the Britons were still 
pouring from the woods. The first arrivals 
had begun an assault on the walls. The Ro¬ 
man guards upon the walls had been reinforced 
and were meeting the attack with vigor. 

“We must make a sally,” said Baculus. 
“ We must disperse this mob before it gets any 
larger and sweeps over the ramparts.” 

Rushing from the nearest gate, the legion¬ 
aries hurled themselves upon the flank of the 
attacking column. Surprised by this counter¬ 
attack, the foe gave way. In hand-to-hand 
combat on the level ground the Britons were 
no match for the trained legionaries. They 
were routed with heavy losses. 

The pursuit was ordered by the Roman in¬ 
fantry and by the small force of cavalry in the 
camp, and in the pursuit the Romans captured 
Lugotorix, a renowned leader of the Britons. 

The failure of the attack on the camp dis- 


A DIFFICULT CAMPAIGN 


223 


heartened the Britons. Their opposition to 
Ceesar collapsed all at once and all the lesser 
chieftains hastened to surrender, Cassivelau- 
nus, the most successful of the leaders of the 
Britons, sent Comius, the Gaul, to ask Csesar 
for his terms of peace. 

The news that some of the tribes in Gaul 
were in revolt made the Roman commander 
anxious to return to the mainland, so arrange¬ 
ments were quickly made with the Britons for 
the ending of the war. They were required to 
give hostages and to pay an annual tribute to 
the Romans. 

Caesar further directed that the chieftains 
should make peace among themselves and he 
forbade Cassivelaunus to attack the tribes 
which had first submitted to his authoritv. It 
appeared that the task of bringing order to 
Britain would be quite similar to that in Gaul. 
The various chieftains must, if possible, be kept 
from quarreling among themselves and from 
constant civil warfare, while all would be 
asked to acknowledge the authority of the 
Roman government. 

The return to Gaul with all the Roman 
army, the hostages, and the prisoners taken in 


224 ON LAND AND SEA WITH C/ESAR 


battle was made in the early part of Septem¬ 
ber. With more men to transport than when 
he sailed to Britain and with fewer ships, for 
not all had been repaired since the storm, 
Caesar was obliged to make the return voyage 
in two trips. All the army was returned to 
Gaul without the loss of a man. 

An assembly of all the Gallic tribes was 
called at Samarobriva, (Amiens) for during 
Caesar’s two-months’ absence in Britain, seri¬ 
ous trouble had arisen in Gaul. 

The season had been dry and the harvests 
had been insufficient because of the drought. 
The problem of feeding the large Roman 
army, in addition to the native population, was 
acute. The Gauls were more restive under 
Roman authority than they had ever been be¬ 
fore. Some of the leaders openly talked of 
revolt. 


CHAPTER XIX 


GAUL IN REVOLT 

Because of the scanty crops, the legions 
were widely scattered for the winter quarters, 
no two in the same place. All were in the 
northwest section of Gaul, where the tribes 
that had been most recently subdued seemed 
most likely to revolt, but a distance of three 
hundred miles lay between the two camps that 
were at the extremes of a long line. 

Titus and Julius marched with the twelfth 
legion to the country of the Nervii, where one 
camp, near the present site of Charleroi, had 
been placed in command of Quintus Cicero, 
brother of the famous orator, who had recently 
joined Caesar’s army as a lieutenant. Not far 
away was a camp on the River Meuse under 
the command of Sabinus and Cotta, who had 
the legion that had been most recently raised 
in Cisalpine Gaul and five additional cohorts. 

Having received word from his quaestors 

towards the end of October that the winter 

225 


226 ON LAND AND SEA WITH CJESAR 


quarters had been established and arrange¬ 
ments made for provisioning the troops, Cassar 
prepared to leave for Cisalpine Gaul, as usual, 
to spend the winter. Outwardly Gaul was 
quiet, but underneath the surface strong fires 
of resentment against the Romans were burn¬ 
ing among its people. The legionaries, al-» 
though they did not realize it, were camped 
over a volcano that was ready to break forth 
in an eruption at any moment. 

The tribes of Gaul believed themselves fear¬ 
fully mistreated. The tribute exacted by the 
conquering Romans had left them poor, many 
of the local chiefs had been deprived of their 
authority, and all the Gauls, of whatever sta¬ 
tion or rank, felt indignant that they were com¬ 
pelled to submit to the Roman authority. 
They were a proud race and submission to any 
authority was galling. Conquerors and con¬ 
quered were about to lock in a death struggle. 

Indutiomarus of the Treveri, cowed into sub¬ 
mission before Caesar left on his second ex¬ 
pedition to Britain, but not by any means 
brought to a frame of mind in which he was 
ready to submit indefinitely to the Roman do¬ 
minion, had craftily used the time during which 


GAUL IN REVOLT 


227 


Caesar was absent to stir up the Gallic nobles 
to revolt. 

He succeeded in persuading the Eburones 
that they might win their freedom by revolt. 
This tribe lived near the confluence of the 
INIeuse and Rhine rivers. Keeping up an ap¬ 
pearance of friendliness, they brought in a 
supply of provisions to the camp of Sabinus 
and Cotta, as requested. 

But suddenly the Eburones rose in rebellion 
under the leadership of two of their chief men, 
Ambiorix and Cativolcus, making an attack 
on a party of the Romans who were out to 
gather wood. ^ 

The attack was repulsed with some difficulty, 
the legionaries finally reaching their camp in 
safety. Ambiorix immediately sent word to 
Sabinus and Cotta that he wished to confer 
with them. The Roman lieutenants granted 
the request for an interview and were informed 
by the Gallic leader that the very next day 
had been set for an uprising throughout Gaul. 

Attacks, he stated, were to be made simul¬ 
taneously on all the scattered legions, to crush 
the Roman forces once and for all. Posing as 
Caesar’s friend, Ambiorix promised the Roman 


228 ON LAND AND SEA WITH CAESAR 


forces a safe-conduct if they would retire from 
their position. He claimed that a large force 
of Germans was approaching to attack the 
Roman camp and was only two days’ march 
away. 

The Roman officers debated the question of 
whether to retire or defend the camp. Cotta, 
backed by many of the tribunes and centurions, 
favored holding on. They argued that they 
had plenty of rations, that the camp was well 
located and strongly fortified. They could 
defend it against all the Germans who could 
be brought up against it. If their position be¬ 
came dangerous, Csesar would send reinforce¬ 
ments to their aid. Why should they give up 
the advantages they had because of the ap¬ 
proach of any enemy? 

Sabinus held the contrary view. He had 
been persuaded by Ambiorix that the only 
safety for the legion lay in a quick retreat to 
join Cicero’s legion in the nearest camp, sixty 
miles away. 

He argued that if the information about the 
movements of the Germans did come from an 
enemy, it would be better to act upon it as 
if true, rather than to wait for the possible ar- 


GAUL IN REVOLT 229 

rival of barbarian hordes. He maintained that 
Caesar had probably started for Italy already 
and that each commander must do what he 
thought best for the safety of his men. 

The stormy council of war lasted till late at 
night and the arguments grew hot between the 
Roman officers. At last Sabinus became an¬ 
gry and raising his voice so that all the soldiers 
in the camp might hear, he declared passion¬ 
ately to his fellow officers: 

“ Prevail, if you wish it. I am not the per¬ 
son among you who is most alarmed by the 
danger of death. These men are aware of it 
and if anything disastrous occurs to us, they 
will demand a reckoning at your hands, these 
men who, if permitted by you, might join our 
nearest winter quarters in three days and there 
experience the common fortune of war all to¬ 
gether, and not, if separated from the rest, 
perish either by the sword or famine.” 

Cotta was about to make an angry reply to 
the lieutenant with whom he shared the com¬ 
mand of and the responsibility for the safety 
of the legion, but the other officers sought to 
bring harmony, declaring that if all agreed in 
council on the best measures to be taken, safety 


230 ON LAND AND SEA WITH CiESAR 

would follow, but if they were divided, dis¬ 
aster would surely overtake all. 

At length the counsel of Sabinus prevailed 
and it was decided to start for Cicero’s camp 
at daybreak. The rest of the night was spent 
in j)reparations for the march, each legionary 
selecting from his baggage the personal be¬ 
longings he valued most, for not all the bag¬ 
gage could be carried on the trip. Safety ap¬ 
peared to lie in moving in light marching order 
as soon as possible. 


IMeanwhile, the Gauls had learned from the 
commotion in the Roman camp that prepara¬ 
tions were being made for a retreat. The 
treacherous Ambiorix, gloating over the fact 
that his lying words had been accepted as 
truth, made preparations for an ambush for 
the Romans on their march. 

Two miles from the camp the road ran 
through a defile that was heavily wooded. A 
small stream ran between two hills. The Gauls 
posted their forces to command the entrance 
and the exit of the ravine and stationed men 
upon the heights. 


GAUL IN REVOLT 


231 


A signal for the beginning of the attack was 
arranged for. 

Caesar was at Samarobriva (Amiens). His 
departure for Italy had been delayed. It 
proved a fortunate circumstance for his scat¬ 
tered legions that the commander-in-chief was 
still in the country. 

The volcano was in eruption. The smoul¬ 
dering fires had broken forth. Gaul was in 
revolt. 

A messenger reached Caesar’s camp at four 
o’clock one afternoon with word that Cicero’s 
camp had been attacked and that he and his 
twelfth legion were in danger of being anni¬ 
hilated by superior forces of the enemy. The 
messenger was a Nerviian who had deserted 
from his tribe and taken refuge with the Ro¬ 
mans. 

He brought the news that the attack on 
Cicero’s camp had been in progress several 
days. He had succeeded in getting through 
the lines of his countrymen to bring the news. 
Although not the first messenger sent out by 
Cicero, he was the first to reach Csesar’s camp. 
All the others had been captured. 


232 ON LAND AND SEA WITH C^SAR 


Csesar acted instantly. Swift couriers were 
despatched to all his lieutenants with orders. 
Crassus, the nearest officer, was on the alert 
and marched with his legion at once, covering 
a distance of twenty-five miles and joining 
forces with Csesar at ten o’clock next morn¬ 
ing. 

Trebonius’ legion, in camp at Csesar’s head¬ 
quarters, had been sent to reinforce Cicero as 
soon as his danger was learned. A force of 
only four hundred cavalry was at hand, but 
with these and the two legions the Roman gen¬ 
eral set out to Cicero’s relief. 

It appeared to Csesar that to strike quickly 
was his only chance. To wait for more troops 
might be fatal. He had as yet received no 
word of the attaek by Ambiorix on the troops 
of Sabinus and Cotta. 

Labienus, with the tenth legion, had camped 
among the Remi, near the Treveri. Csesar’s 
orders to him were to march at once to join his 
general, but the lieutenant, nearer to the scene 
of the revolt of the Eburones and knowing 
that the Treveri were ready at any time to 
join the rapidly spreading rebellion, remained 
where he was to prevent danger from that 


GAUL IN REVOLT 


233 


quarter. Later events proved his judgment 
in the matter to have been sound. 

The Roman general marched on with the 
small force he had, covering one hundred and 
ten miles in five days over winter roads, and 
camped near the Gallic army that had sur¬ 
rounded Cicero’s winter quarters. 

A trusty Gaul was sent with a message to 
the besieged Roman lieutenant, with orders 
how to get it into the camp. He was instructed 
to tie the parchment on which the message was 
written to a javelin or an arrow, to be shot 
into the camp enclosure, where the besieged 
legionaries might get it. 

For additional precaution lest his message 
fall into the hands of the enemy, Caesar wrote it 
in Greek. 

“ Courage. Expect succor,” it read. 

The daring Roman general marched on with 
his hastily collected force of 8,000 men. Hear¬ 
ing of his coming, the Gauls, who had been be¬ 
sieging the twelfth legion in its camp, detached 
part of their forces and sent 60,000 men against 
him. 


CHAPTER XX 


A DESPERATE SITUATION 

‘‘ I HAD a strange dream last night,” said 
Titus. 

“ What was it? ” asked Julius. 

“ I don’t remember the first part of it,” re¬ 
plied his cousin. “ You know how dreams are. 
All of a sudden our legion seemed to be in the 
midst of an attack. It was the most vivid ex¬ 
perience imaginable. We were surrounded 
and we were fighting for our lives.” 

“ Who were our enemies? ” 

“ I don’t know. It was the Gauls we were 
fighting, but what tribe it was, I can’t imagine.” 

“ You were dreaming of some of our former 
battles, I think,” said Julius. 

“ No, it did not seem like any battle we have 
been in before. I think it is an omen of com¬ 
ing trouble.” 

“ Trouble? Why, all this country is at peace 
now.” 

“We seem to be at peace, but you know the 

234 


A DESPERATE SITUATION 235 

Gauls are restless this winter and there is 
much talk of revolt.’’ 

“Oh, well,” said Julius, “they are always 
talking of revolt, but nothing serious ever 
comes of it. Everything has been peaceful this 
fall. We haven’t heard a word about trouble 
anywhere.” 

“ I know it,” continued Titus. “ That is 
what makes my dream so strange. I can’t un¬ 
derstand it. It was certainly a desperate sit¬ 
uation we were in. I woke up all in a sweat. 
It seemed to be this camp of ours that was 
attacked.” 

“ Never mind it,” advised Julius. “ It was 
only a bad dream, and dreams go by contraries, 
you know.” 

“Not always,” declared Titus. 

The subject was then dismissed from their 
conversation, but his night’s experience trou¬ 
bled the young centurion all day and his 
thoughts continually kept reverting to his 
dream-fight. 

The work of fortifying the camp of which 
Cicero was in charge had not been completed. 
The walls had been finished, but no towers 
had been erected on them. The timber for 


236 ON LAND AND SEA WITH CAESAR 


their construction had been cut, however, and 
was piled up inside the camp. 

As the afternoon sun was setting and twi¬ 
light had begun to come, a sudden attack was 
made on the camp. Without warning, armed 
forces of the Gauls appeared and delivered an 
energetic assault. 

The legionaries rushed to arms and manned 
the walls. Cicero, although sick, rose from his 
bed and took personal charge of repelling the 
attack. 

I 

The enemy were repulsed, but instead of re¬ 
tiring from the vicinity of the camp, fortified 
a camp of their own. 

“ It looks to me as if we were in for a siege,” 
remarked Baculus to a group of centurions, 
among them Titus and Julius. “ The bar¬ 
barians did not succeed in surprising us and 
capturing the camp, but thej^ have surrounded 
us and apparently they have raised a big army 
from somewhere.” 

“ Can we get reinforcements? ” asked Julius. 

“ Cicero has sent messengers to Cgesar for 
help,” Baculus replied, ‘‘ but I do not know 
whether or not they will be able to get through 
the enemy’s lines. If this insurrection of the 


A DESPERATE SITUATION 237 


Gauls is widespread, they may have all the 
roads blocked. I wish our camps Avere located 
nearer together.’' 

Baculus’ guess was right, for the enemy in¬ 
tercepted Cicero’s first messages to his com- 
mander-in-chief telling of the attack upon the 
camp. 

The men of the twelfth legion worked all 
night to prepare their defenses. Fortunately 
the timber had been made ready, so that by 
hard work the legionaries built one hundred 
and twenty towers on the ramparts in one 
night’s labor. Even the sick and the wounded 
were compelled to assist in the task, Cicero 
himself setting the example, although urged 
by his officers to spare himself, for his illness 
had taxed his strength. 

The towers, hastily built, were sufficient for 
the purpose of defense. From these elevated 
battlements the Romans were able next day to 
repulse the assault which the enemy made in 
force. 

Attacks by the Nervii continued at intervals 
for several days, with no success, until finally 
Ambiorix, the leader of the rebels, sent word 
that he wished to confer with Cicero. 


238 ON LAND AND SEA WITH C^SAR 


The commander of the legion was told by 
Ambiorix when they met that one camp had 
already been captured and that the legion and 
a half that manned it had been destroyed al¬ 
most to a man. The same fate, he predicted, 
would befall Cicero and his men unless he 
would agree to terms. 

The news that the force with Sabinus and 
Cotta had been annihilated was a surprise to 
the Roman lieutenant, who had not heard of 
the attack on the camp that lay next to his. 
So well had the barbarians kept their plans 
secret that no word of the uprising had reached 
the scattered Roman camps. 

It was no idle boast that Ambiorix made to 
Cicero, for his troops had conquered the le¬ 
gionaries led by Sabinus and Cotta, as he 
stated. Boasting that he had captured the 
Roman standards, he informed the leader of 
the twelfth legion that his victory had been 
complete, that both Sabinus and Cotta had 
been killed and their legion wiped out of exist¬ 
ence, only a handful of the Roman soldiers 
escaping. 

It was the worst disaster that had befallen 
Csesar’s forces in Gaul, and Cicero realized full 


A DESPERATE SITUATION 239 


well the significance of the victory of Am- 
biorix, but unafraid, he returned a soldier’s 
answer. No Roman ever entered into negotia¬ 
tions with a foe in arms, he said. If Ambiorix 
would lay down his arms and would present his 
case as a suppliant, he would be heard. 

The rebel leader had claimed that the cause 
of the war was the burden laid on the Gauls 
by the fact that the Romans were wintering 
regularly in the country and consuming the 
grain needed by the people. To this Cicero 
replied that if Ambiorix would state his case 
to Caesar, he no doubt would receive ample 
justice. 

The rebel chief discovered that he could not 
alarm the commander of the twelfth legion, as 
he had alarmed Sabinus and Cotta, with his 
story of a general uprising among the Gauls. 
Failing to draw his enemy into a trap by crafty 
suggestions, as he had done with the other 
commanders, he began a siege of the camp in 
earnest. 

The Nervii then began to throw up earth¬ 
works to hem the Romans in, constructing a 
rampart eleven feet high and a ditch thirteen 
feet deep. Adopting the method the Romans 


240 ON LAND AND SEA WITH CAESAR 

used in their siege operations, the barbarians 
turned against their conquerors what they 
had learned by observation. 

Lacking the tools that helped the legionaries 
to do fast work in their siege operations, the 
barbarians were forced to cut turf with their 
swords and to move the loose dirt with their 
hands or by using their cloaks for baskets, but 
they had so many men with them that in about 
three hours they had thrown up a line of 
earthworks three miles long about the Roman 
camp. 

Next day the enemy built towers, mantlets, 
and galleries and prepared mural hooks with 
which to tear down the walls of the Roman 
camp. The legionaries succeeded in repel¬ 
ling all attacks. 

The seventh day of the siege a high wind 
blew. The Gauls prepared heated balls of 
clay and blazing javelins. When these missiles 
were hurled into the camp, they set fire to the 
thatched roofs of the huts the legionaries had 
built for winter quarters. 

While the fire was at its hottest, the enemy 
delivered a vigorous attack. To repel this, 
every legionary was needed on the walls and 


A DESPERATE SITUATION 241 


the Romans were obliged to let all their bag¬ 
gage be burned without trying to fight the 
flames. 

Deeds of valor were performed by many of 
the legionaries that day. Disputes among the 
centurions as to who was the bravest could be 
settled in the sight of all their comrades. Two 
of the centurions, who were approaching the 
highest ranks to which they might be pro¬ 
moted, were among those who sought to dis¬ 
tinguish themselves for their conduct in battle, 
Pulfio and Varenus by name. 

When the fight before the fortifications was 
raging hottest, Pulfio exclaimed to his rival 
officer: 

“ Why do you hesitate, Varenus? What 
better opportunity of showing your valor do 
you seek? ” 

With these words, he leaped from the walls 
and rushed to the spot where the enemy ap¬ 
peared to be attacking in greatest numbers. 
Varenus followed him. 

Single-handed, the two officers, each taking 
a separate course, attacked groups of the en¬ 
emy, who closed in about them. Pulfio had 
his shield pierced by a javelin, which also 


242 ON LAND AND SEA WITH CiESAR 


caught in his belt, preventing him from draw¬ 
ing his sword. 

Seeing the difficulty his fellow officer was 
in, Varenus rushed up to him. Their enemies, 
thinking that Pulfio had been pierced by the 
javelin, all turned uppn Varenus. The other 
centurion, freeing himself from his entangle¬ 
ments, in turn came to the aid of Varenus, 
who had lost his footing and had fallen in a 
hollow. 

The two officers, fighting side by side, put 
the enemy to flight and killed several of them. 
Before the Gauls could rally in overwhelming 
numbers to overpower them, they returned to 
the shelter of the fortifications amid the cheers 
of the legionaries, who had to declare that 
honors were even between the two centurions. 

Thus the siege went on, with almost daily 
combats, which reduced the number of the Ro¬ 
mans, for they did not escape losses in killed 
and wounded. The numerous messengers sent 
to Csesar for relief were captured, some of them 
being tortured to death in sight of the Roman 
camp. Finally, a Nerviian, who had deserted 
to the Romans before the fight began, suc¬ 
ceeded in getting through the lines of his coun- 


A DESPERATE SITUATION 243 

trymen and brought word of the attack to the 
Roman general. 

“You must rest to-day, Julius,” insisted 
Titus. “ There are centurions enough. Give 
your wound a chance to heal. If you don’t, 
you will be laid up for good.” 

“ I don’t care,” said Julius. “ I’m going on 
duty just the same. I can stand it as well as 
the rest of the wounded officers and men.” 

“ Do take just to-day off,” pleaded his 
cousin. “ Save your strength. You may be 
needed more to-morrow. One day’s rest will 
do you lots of good.” 

“ Rest yourself. You’re wounded, too.” 

“ But not so badly as you.” 

Baculus looked in upon the boys, hearing 
their voices raised in argument, their tones 
carrying beyond the walls of the half-burned 
hut in which they made their quarters. 

“ What’s all this debate about? ” he asked. 
“ You’re as bad as Pulfio and Varenus.” 

“ I’m telling Julius he should rest a bit,” 
said Titus. “ He is so exhausted he can hardly 
stand. He’s not fit to mount the walls to-day. 
Is he? ” 

“ Every man will have to judge for himself 


2U ON LAND AND SEA WITH C^SAR 

whether he is fit for duty or not,” replied the 
first centurion of the legion. 

Baculus himself, pale from loss of blood, 
showed in his movements no trace of weakness, 
but his many bandages told the story of how 
many times he had sustained wounds in the 
desperate fighting. In spite of Titus’ en¬ 
treaties, Julius took his post on the ramparts 
for the day. 

The attacks of the enemy had grown less 
vigorous, but they were moving their siege 
line nearer every day. They felt confident of 
final victory, believing it a question of only a 
few days before the exhausted twelfth legion 
would surrender. 

Julius dragged himself to one of the towers, 
limping painfully from a badly wounded leg. 
He mounted the tower and looked about the 
field. The Romans’ supply of weapons had 
been running short and Julius, noticing a 
javelin that had stuck in the outside of the 
tower, pulled it out. Unnoticed until then by 
any of the Romans, the weapon had been there 
two whole days. 

“ This javelin is all right to use,” he said. 
“ The bent shaft can be straightened.” 



He unrolled the parchment and read; ‘‘Courage 
Expect succor.”— Page 245. 




A DESPERATE SITUATION 245 

He examined the weapon more closely. 

“ Why, what is this? ” he exclaimed sud¬ 
denly, looking at the shaft. “ Here’s some¬ 
thing bound around this with a thong. It 
looks like a parchment. It is some sort of 
message thrown into the camp.” 

Hastily untying the leather thong, he un¬ 
rolled the parchment and read: 

“ Courage. Expect succor.” 

The boy hastened to Cicero’s quarters. 

“ A message, sir,” he shouted. “ It is writ¬ 
ten in Greek. I think it is from Caesar. He 
is on the way to our relief.” 

“ Thank the gods! ” exclaimed the leader 
of the legion. “ We could not hold out many 
days longer.” 


CHAPTER XXI 


CRUSHING THE REVOLT 

C^SAR, advancing to Cicero’s relief, came 
upon the Nerviian forces Ambiorix had de¬ 
tached from his army that was besieging Cic¬ 
ero’s camp to attack the Roman general. 
The cavalry met in a skirmish and the Roman 
allies, acting on Ceesar’s orders, hastily re¬ 
treated in confusion. 

Csesar’s camp lay on a hilltop above a small 
stream. The camp had been built on a much 
smaller scale than usual, to make it appear 
that the Roman forces were less numerous than 
they really were. 

Upon the approach of the Nervii, orders 
were given to the legionaries to act as if con¬ 
fused and alarmed. They began to strengthen 
the fortifications, hastily barricading the gates 
and giving every indication of a panic-stricken 
army. Not a sentry was posted on the walls 
and the enemy, riding up their horses close to 

the camp, could look over the walls into it 

246 


CRUSHING THE REVOLT 247 

and notice the panic its defenders appeared to 
be in. 

The trick succeeded. The advance-guards 
of the enemy rode back to Ambiorix and re¬ 
ported that the Romans were unprepared and 
afraid and that they would fall easy victims 
to a swift attack. 

The Nervii came on in careless fashion. 
Sure of having already bagged their game, they 
pressed forward in disorder to the Roman for¬ 
tifications, on which not a legionary was to be 
seen. The defenders of the camp seemed 
afraid to fight. Taunts were hurled at the le¬ 
gionaries. A herald approached and read a 
proclamation offering safety to any one who 
would desert from the Roman camp before the 
attack began. 

The herald returned to Ambiorix and the 
barbarian hordes began to cross the stream and 
march up the slope. Some of the enemy ad¬ 
vanced against the camp walls to scale them. 
Others made their way towards the gates, at 
which they could see the hastily thrown up 
barricades of sod, behind which no defenders 
were to be seen. 

Csesar, keeping up his pretense of fear, held 


248 ON LAND AND SEA WITH C^SAR 


his legionaries well in hand. Not a weapon 
was thrown at the enemy until they had sur¬ 
rounded the camx3 and the boldest of them had 
begun to swarm over the walls. 

Then the signal to attack was given. The 
legions, marshaled in close formation, broke 
into a yell and charged from all the gates at 
once. Throwing down the sod barricades, 
which had not been intended to bar the gates 
securely, the Romans hurled themselves at the 
foe. 

So sudden and unexpected was the counter 
attack that the Nervii fled in dismay. Those 
nearest the gates were swept off their feet 
by the irresistible onslaught of the solid Roman 
cohorts. Those farther away took fright and 
fled. 

The legionaries pursued, slaying the fleeing 
enemy by hundreds. The country was much 
cut up by small streams and thick woods, so 
that pursuit of the scattered Nervii was 
difficult, and Ceesar soon ordered the legions 
back to camp. 

The march to Cicero’s camp was continued 
and at three o’clock next afternoon Caesar 
joined forces with his lieutenant. The enemy 


CRUSHING THE REVOLT 


249 


who had been besieging the camp had all 
fled. 

News of Caesar’s victory spread rapidly 
through the countryside. Before midnight, the 
Treveri, sixty miles away, had heard of it. 
Indutiomarus, leader of the Treveri, was about 
to attack the camp of Labienus, but on hear¬ 
ing the news, he dispersed his forces. The 
Remi, among whom Labienus was encamj)ed, 
and who still remained friendly to the Romans 
in spite of the growing revolt among the Gauls, 
raised a shout of joy. This informed Labienus 
of the success of his commander-in-chief. 

The news traveled in all directions with the 
same rapidity and any plans the barbarians 
had under way for attacks on other camps were 
given up. Caesar’s boldness in marching with 
his small forces straight into the heart of the 
enemy’s country had won the day for him 
again. 

The general found the twelfth legion in 
Cicero’s camp full of courage after its gallant 
stand against its attackers, but the little gar¬ 
rison had been sadly treated by the terrific 
punishment of the long siege. The legion had 
numbered close to five thousand men at the 


250 ON LAND AND SEA WITH C^SAR 


beginning of the siege. Now over four thou¬ 
sand had been wounded and four hundred had 
been killed. On marshaling the gallant twelfth 
in review, Caesar found that only one legionary 
in ten had escaped without wounds." 

Commending Cicero in highest terms for his 
brave stand, Caesar made inquiries about the 
conduct of the other officers, distributing re¬ 
wards among the bravest. The commander-in¬ 
chief bestowed on each officer his gift in person 
and with it gave a word of praise for gallant 
conduct. 

“ Centurion Baculus,” he said, ‘‘ you well 
deserve this gift. Cicero has told me of your 
brave deeds. The tribunes of this legion praise 
you to the skies. It seems to me that I never 
hear of some special bit of valor on the part 
of this legion but that I find Baculus is in the 
thick of it. Take care of yourself. We need 
you, stout-hearted Baculus.” 

The general passed on to the next man. 
“And who is this beside you? You do not 
need to tell me. Centurion Titus Colenus, bv 
your untiring work the first night of the siege, 

* A loss of ten per cent in killed and wounded is considered 
enough to put most military units wholly out of action for the 
time being. 


CRUSHING THE REVOLT 


251 


I learn, the defenses were made strong enough 
to resist the attack. The chief engineer tells 
me he never could have succeeded in holding 
the tired men to the task except for your as¬ 
sistance. All this and more I’ve heard of you, 
your heroism in repairing breaches in the walls 
while under fire. Take this with my sincerest 
thanks.” 

The general pressed his gift into Titus’ 
hands and passed along the line. 

“ Centurion Julius,” he said, smiling with 
keen delight to see the boy who had been so 
often with him at his headquarters on staff 
duty now singled out with other officers for 
honorable mention for duty well performed, 
“ you, too, have my special thanks for the ser¬ 
vice you have rendered. It was you, I find, 
who discovered my message and took it to 
Cicero just when the last hope of relief seemed 
to have vanished. Your tribunes have told me 
how courageously you stuck to your post in 
spite of wounds. Your bravery earns this re¬ 
ward. You-” 

The boy fell at his feet in a faint. The pain 
of his wounds, the fatigue of his long exertions, 
the excitement of the moment, proved too 



252 ON LAND AND SEA WITH C^SAR 


much for him and he collapsed. He was ten¬ 
derly carried to his hut, where he was given 
the attention he so badly needed. 

Cassar ordered his scattered forces concen¬ 
trated in four camps, establishing his own 
headquarters at Samarobriva and deciding to 
remain all winter in Gaul, so unsettled were 
the conditions. Labienus was left in his camp 
among the Remi. 

Open revolt had been quelled by prompt ac¬ 
tion, but its smouldering embers remained to 
be quenched. Gaul was far from tranquil. 
The Remi and the ^dui were the only tribes 
that remained entirely loyal to Caesar. All the 
others needed a firm hand to keep them in sub¬ 
jection. 

Indutiomarus, chief of the Treveri, was the 
head of the insurrection. He tried to get the 
Germans to come across the Rhine to assist 
the Gauls in their revolt against the Roman 
authorities, but having conceived a hearty 
dread of Caesar’s power because of their pre¬ 
vious defeats, the Germans remained in their 
own land. 

The rebel leader did not cease his efforts. 
He succeeded in getting some of the smaller 


CRUSHING THE REVOLT 


253 


tribes to join him and the Aduatuci and the 
Nervii seemed ready to help. His army was 
eomposed largely of outlaws, criminals, and 
discontented persons, who had pledged alle¬ 
giance neither to the Gallic chiefs nor to the 
Homans. 

Calling an armed assembly of the chiefs, In- 
dutiomarus succeeded in rallying more fol¬ 
lowers to his standard and advanced against 
Labienus to attack his camp. This officer, 
profiting by the tactics Caesar had successfully 
employed in defeating the Nervii under 
Ambiorix, pretended to be afraid and kept his 
troops behind the shelter of their ramparts. 

Labienus had quietly recruited a good body 
of Gallic cavalry from the faithful Remi, quar¬ 
tering them in his camp. When Indutiomarus’ 
army advanced against the stronghold in which 
he was entrenched, the Roman lieutenant made 
no sally against the threatened attack. To¬ 
wards evening the enemy withdrew, planning 
to deliver in the morning an assault they felt 
sure would result in the capture of the camp 
and its garrison. 

The Gauls, as they retired from the imme¬ 
diate vicinity of the fortifications, shouted 


254 ON LAND AND SEA WITH C^SAR 


taunts at the legionaries for their cowardice in 
refusing to fight, conducting the withdrawal 
in careless fashion. This was Labienus’ op¬ 
portunity. Throwing open the two main gates 
of his camp, he sent out his cavalry to attack, 
followed by the cohorts of his tenth legion. 

The sudden attack surprised the Gauls so 
that they were unable to resist it. They were 
scattered in disorder and Indutiomarus was 
killed. 

This victory and the death of the chief plot¬ 
ter made the Gauls more cautious. The Nervii, 
the Eburones, and the other tribes who had 
joined the revolt, dispersed to their homes. 
The Treveri ceased their threats against Labie- 
nus in his exposed position and the country 
again appeared restored to order. 

Afraid openly to attack the Roman forces, 
the Gauls held secret meetings at night, in 
which revolution was planned. Emissaries 
were sent out to all the tribes to rouse the spirit 
of revolt, so that when a favorable opportunity 
came the Gauls might rise as one man against 
the invaders. 


CHAPTER XXII 


AN EARLY SPRING CAMPAIGN 

Baculus was engaged in conversation with 
a group of his centurions. 

“ I cannot see it that way,” he declared. 
“ It seems to me that we are in more danger 
than ever before.” 

“ The rebel armies are dispersed, are they 
not? ” inquired Centurion Varenus, who had 
been arguing with him. This officer had main¬ 
tained that the Gauls had been thoroughly 
humbled by their many defeats, that their 
spirit had been broken and that no more insur¬ 
rections might be expected. 

“It is true that there are no armed forces 
in the field against us,” continued Baculus, 
“ but you cannot tell at what moment an in¬ 
surrection will break out again. What warn¬ 
ing did we have of the attack on us in Cicero’s 
camp? If they raised an army of sixty thou¬ 
sand men on short notice then, they can do it 
again.” 

“ You’re right, Baculus,” Titus broke in. 

255 


256 ON LAND AND SEA WITH CJESAR 


“ The Gauls have not forgotten that they con¬ 
quered one Roman legion. The fact that they 
overcame Sabinus and Cotta and destroyed 
fifteen cohorts of our army will encourage 
them to think they can do it again if a good 
chance comes. They no longer fear our legions 
as they used to.” 

“ Caesar has replaced those fifteen cohorts 
with thirty cohorts. We have three full le¬ 
gions instead of the one and a half that was 
lost,” said Julius. 

The young man was inclined to agree with 
Varenus that there was little danger that the 
Gauls would rise again and try to drive the 
legions from the country. Csesar had promptly 
made good the loss to his army in Gaul brought 
about by the defeat of Sabinus and Cotta. He 
had borrowed one legion from Pompey, the 
first legion, which had seen service in Spain, 
and had raised two more in Cisalpine Gaul. 
One of these two newly-recruited legions that 
had been called to the eagles was the four¬ 
teenth, taking the name and place of the one 
lost at Aduatuca, the other being called the 
fifteenth. Caesar’s Gallic army now numbered 
ten full legions, and losses in the ranks of his 


AN EARLY SPRING CAMPAIGN 257 

veteran cohorts had been made ui) by new 
recruits. 

“ I think the adding to our forces confirms 
the view I hold,” continued Baculus. “ Ceesar 
has not only showed the Gauls that Rome has 
power to send two soldiers for every one they 
kill, but I believe he also thinks it is neces¬ 
sary to have his army up to full strength. I 
know he realizes how acute the danger of a 
general uprising is.” 

“ Perhaps you are right,” admitted Julius. 
“ While I was on duty at headquarters this 
winter for a short period, I noticed that he 
gave more careful attention than usual to the 
placing of his forces. He was impatient, too, 
for the new troops to arrive.” 

Caesar, contrary to his usual custom, had 
spent the whole winter in Gaul with his troops. 
While the cold weather kept the army inactive 
in winter quarters, the general had been busy 
with negotiations with the Gallic tribes, trying 
to conciliate them and induce them to be loyal 
to him. In this he did not have uniform suc¬ 
cess. 

After the death of Indutiomarus, the Tre- 
veri had elected a new chief from his family. 


258 ON LAND AND SEA WITH CiESAR 


who tried to get the German tribes to aid him. 
Ambiorix, against whom Csesar had sworn 
vengeance because of the slaughter of his le¬ 
gionaries at Aduatuca, took refuge with them. 

Several other tribes were more or less openly 
hostile, most active among them being the 
Senones and the Carnutes. The Nervii, in 
spite of their defeat at Csesar’s hands, were still 
in arms and so were the Aduatuci and the 
Menapii. 

Anticipating trouble with these tribes, which 
had placed themselves under the leadership of 
the Nervii, and knowing that they were con¬ 
stantly trying to get the Germans to make an¬ 
other invasion, Caesar decided to strike quickly. 
In early spring, before the roads were wholly 
settled, he opened his campaign, marching with 
four legions against the Nervii. He swept 
over their country before they could rally to 
resist him, devastating the land and carrying 
off plunder and provisions. 

The sudden attack produced its effect, mak¬ 
ing the Nervii read}^ to give hostages for their 
good behavior. Csesar then returned to his 
winter quarters and called an assembly of all 
the Gauls. 


AN EARLY SPRING CAMPAIGN 259 


The tribes all sent representatives to the as¬ 
sembly except the Treveri, the Senones and 
the Carnutes. Transferring the assembly to 
Lutetia (Paris) in the country of the Parisii, 
Caesar sent forces from there against the 
Senones and Carnutes and compelled them to 
give hostages. The assembly was then ad¬ 
journed, with Central Gaul in a fairly tranquil 
state. Caesar could now turn his attention to 
the rebellious Ambiorix, former leader of the 
Eburones, who had now become an outlaw 
chief. 

Knowing that the Menapii, the next tribe to 
the Eburones on the north, were friendly to 
Ambiorix, the Roman general decided to in¬ 
vade their country and detach them from their 
allegiance to the rebel leader. They were the 
only tribe that had never sent ambassadors to 
Caesar. So long as they remained unsubdued, 
Ambiorix would have a refuge in the woods 
and morasses of their country, near the mouths 
of the River Rhine. 

Five legions in light marching order were 
taken on the expedition against the Menapii. 
All the heavy baggage of the army and the 
remaining legions were sent to Labienus, who 


260 ON LAND AND SEA WITH C^SAR 


was still at his camp on the borders of the 
Treveri. 

The campaign was short and decisive. Mov¬ 
ing rapidly through the country and devastat¬ 
ing it, as he had done the land of the Nervii, 
Csesar soon compelled the Menapii to sue for 
peace and give hostages. They did not have 
time to gather forces to resist his wholly unex¬ 
pected invasion. 

Meanwhile, Labienus inflicted defeat upon 
the Treveri with the half of the Roman army 
which was under his command. The German 
tribes that had been reported to be coming 
over into Gaul turned back in dismay. Cinge- 
torix, always faithful ally of the Romans, was 
put at the head of the Treveri, the position 
once held by Indutiomarus. 

Caesar, victorious over the Menapii, was 
marching up the Rhine to join Labienus when 
he heard of his lieutenant’s victory. He halted 
his army near the place where his first bridge 
had been built across that river and made 
preparations to invade the German territories 
again. 

Another bridge was built, a little above the 
spot where the first one had been. The troops 


AN EARLY SPRING CAIMPAIGN 261 

vvere marched over the Rhine and soon came 
among the Ubii. These people proved to Cse- 
sar that they had been faithful in their alle¬ 
giance to him and that it had been the Suevi 
who had promised aid to Ambiorix. 

The Suevi, it Avas learned, fearing punish¬ 
ment for their actions, had retreated far into 
the interior of the country, driving off their 
flocks and herds. Not desiring to take time to 
pursue this roving people, Csesar returned to 
Gaul, breaking down part of the bridge at the 
German end. Fortifications, including towers 
four stories high, were built to defend the 
bridge-head on the Gallic side and a guard of 
twelve cohorts was stationed there to hold 
them. 

Cassar himself, with the rest of his forces, 
marched through the forest of Ardennes 
against Ambiorix. But the rebel leader took 
to hiding and could not be found. Once he 
was surrounded in a hut in the forest, but his 
bodyguard put up a stiff fight and detained 
the band of Ceesar’s Gallic horsemen until 
Ambiorix had time to mount his horse and 
escape. The rebel chieftain, seeing that re¬ 
sistance by armed force was useless, released 


262 ON LAND AND SEA WITH CAESAR 


all his allies from allegiance to him, giving 
notice that each rebel chieftain must look out 
for his own safety. This action roused the 
fury of the other rebel leaders at Ambiorix, 
but he had faithful followers among his coun¬ 
trymen who kept his place of refuge secret 
and he escaped capture. 

Cativolcus, king of the Eburones, committed 
suicide in his despair. The other tribes that 
had enrolled themselves in the rebellion led by 
Ambiorix either laid down arms and begged 
mercy from Csesar or fled to distant parts of 
the country. 

The Eburones had been responsible for the 
treacherous attack upon Sabinus and Cotta 
when these lieutenants accepted in good faith 
the pledge of safe conduct given by Ambiorix. 
It was the Eburones who had slaughtered the 
fifteen Roman cohorts. The destruction of the 
whole nation was accordingly decreed by 
Csesar, who forbade any of the tribes which 
had yielded to him to harbor any of the Ebu¬ 
rones. The neighboring tribes, by offers of 
booty, were induced to aid in hunting dovm 
the scattered people. 

The Gauls, not slow to seize the chance to 


AN EARLY SPRING CAMPAIGN 263 


plunder and to pay off old scores against their 
neighbors, turned out to join the pursuit. The 
German tribes across the Rhine heard of the 
affair and supposing that Caesar’s offer of the 
spoils of war applied to them also, the German 
tribe of the Sugambri raised a force of two 
thousand horsemen and crossed the Rhine 
in boats, some thirty miles below Caesar’s 
bridge. 

The invading Germans began to drive off 
cattle and to plunder indiscriminately any 
villages and scattered dwelling houses they 
came upon. Their greed for plunder led them 
also to make a daring attack upon a Roman 
legion, which they had heard was in camp alone 
at Aduatuca, under command of Cicero. 

Cgesar had divided his forces in his expedi¬ 
tion against the Eburones, sending out three 
columns in different directions with orders to 
rendezvous at Aduatuca on a specified day, 
when rations were to be issued to the army, 
such rations for the legionaries being given out 
every two weeks. 

The difficulties of the campaign kept the 
marching legions away for a longer time than 
had been expected and neither Csesar nor his 


264) ON LAND AND SEA WITH C^SAR 

lieutenants who had the command of the other 
two columns reached Cicero’s camp on the ap¬ 
pointed day. 

The legions on the march could forage for 
provisions on their way, but the twelfth le¬ 
gion, left to guard the camp where headquar¬ 
ters had been established at Aduatuca, could 
not find supplies so easily. Their rations were 
running short and the men began to appeal to 
Cicero to let them go on a foraging expedi¬ 
tion. 

Cicero, acting under orders of the general, 
had kept the men close to camp, but unaware 
that the German horsemen were approaching 
and realizing that the soldiers must replenish 
their stock of provisions in some way, he al¬ 
lowed five cohorts to set out to forage, leav¬ 
ing five in camp to guard it. This lack of 
precaution came near causing a disaster like 
that which had overtaken Sabinus and Cotta 
at the same spot, the camp at Aduatuca. 

“ Do a good job at the foraging, Titus,” 
urged Julius, as the cohorts selected for the 
expedition prepared to leave the camp. 

“ We surely will,” replied his fellow-cen¬ 
turion. “ We’ll bring in enough, never fear. 


AN EARLY SPRING CAMPAIGN 265 


I don’t like this business of running short of 
rations any better than you do.” 

Rejoicing at the chance to take part in ac¬ 
tive work instead of enduring the close confine¬ 
ment of the camp, Titus set out in high good 
humor for the foraging trip. The members of 
all five cohorts, officers and men alike, were 
glad to go, joking at their comrades who had 
been left behind as a guard. 

Julius, for once, was glad that his duty was 
not to be an active one, for wounds recently 
received had not wholly healed and he wel¬ 
comed the opportunity to rest. He sought out 
Baculus to visit with him and cheer him up, 
for the first centurion had been desperately 
wounded a month before and was not yet 
strong enough for active duty. He had been 
unable to take substantial food for five days 
because of fever. 

“ Well, the foraging party has left,” said 
Julius entering Baculus’ tent. 

The wounded officer, pale and weak, lifted 
himself partially from his bed to inquire, 
“ What foraging party? I did not know about 
it.” 

“ Why, yesterday was the day appointed for 


266 ON LAND AND SEA WITH C^SAR 


the legions to return to camp and also the day 
for issuing new rations. But the troops did 
not return and our supplies are almost gone, 
so the men began to beg Cicero to let them go 
foraging to-day and he gave his consent.’’ 

“ It is strictly against orders,” said Baculus. 

‘‘ I know that,” replied Julius, “ but what 
odds? Caesar has not returned himself and 
Cicero had to use his own judgment. You 
don’t want us to starve, do you, just because 
you are not very hungry yourself because of 
your illness? ” 

“ Orders are orders,” said Baculus, “ and 
they are given to be obeyed. How many of 
the legionaries are left in camp? ” 

“ Five cohorts.” 

“ Only five cohorts! That’s hardly enough 
to man the walls. What if we should be at¬ 
tacked? ” 

“ You don’t really expect us to be, do you? ” 
inquired Julius. 

“ You never can tell,” said the veteran cen¬ 
turion. “ It’s best to be prepared for any¬ 
thing.” 

When the unexpected attack was made by 
the raiding German cavalry, Cicero’s camp was 


AN EARLY SPRING CAMPAIGN 267 


wholly unprepared. The horsemen rode up so 
suddenly to the main gate that the traders 
were surprised in their booths outside the walls 
and the small guard of legionaries at the gate 
had barely time to run inside and barricade the 
entrance. 

Shouts of alarm rang out. 

Julius hurried to the gate, towards which he 
saw legionaries rushing from all directions. 

“ What’s up? ” he inquired, breathless. 

“ The enemy is on us again,” replied a le¬ 
gionary. “ See that troop of horsemen—thou¬ 
sands of them. Cfiesar has been defeated, per¬ 
haps.” 

The man was in a panic. 

“ No such thing,” said Julius, roughly. 
“ Man the walls.” 

The camp was in disorder, no one seeming 
to know what to do. A panic had seized the 
legionaries and their customary readiness in 
emergency was lacking. The weakest cohorts 
had been left behind. The boldest had gone 
on the foraging expedition. 

In spite of the efforts of a few of the cen¬ 
turions who kept cool, like Julius, the panic 
spread. Instead of obeying orders to form 


268 ON LAND AND SEA WITH CJESAR 


ranks, the legionaries ran wildly about the 
camp, more than half of them not armed. 

What did the attack mean? Who were the 
enemy? Had the Roman army been defeated 
and was it now the turn for the remnant of the 
twelfth legion to be annihilated? 

The confusion grew worse and worse. 

“ What can we do, Varenus? ” asked Julius, 
in alarm. “ The men are in a panic. How can 
we stop it? ” 

“ Let them run, the cowards,” said Centu¬ 
rion Varenus, savagely. “We can do our bit, 
anyway. On to the gate.” 

The two centurions, aided by a handful of 
the steadier legionaries, rushed into the breach 
at the gate, which the German horsemen were 
already threatening to enter. Had the Ger¬ 
mans known the situation inside the camp and 
had they pressed their first attack more boldly, 
they might have gained an entrance and per¬ 
haps a victory. 

While the confusion was at its height, Bacu- 
lus appeared upon the scene. The badly 
wounded officer seized his weapons and ran 
about the camp streets, rallying the panic- 
stricken men, compelling them to take arms, 


AN EARLY SPRING CAMPAIGN 269 


sending them to the. ramparts and exhorting 
them to do their duty. 

Spurred on by his example and stung into 
action by his bitter words, the legionaries ral¬ 
lied. The ranks were formed, and the walls 
were manned by defenders who had once more 
taken courage. 

“ You’ve saved us, Baculus,” exclaimed 
Julius. “We never could have got the men in 
line without you.” 

Baculus fainted dead away. 

Meanwhile, the enemy had retired a short 
distance from the wall to take counsel how 
they might best press their attack. They had 
found the camp even less strongly defended 
than they had anticipated. Its capture seemed 
easy to them, but they wished to make it with 
the least possible loss to themselves. Decid¬ 
ing to starve the defenders out, they proceeded 
to surround the camp on all sides, making no 
assault upon it for the moment. They had 
been told that it contained all the Romans’ 
wealth of treasure. 

The foraging parties of the legion, sent out 
under various officers, began to return to camp 
by different roads, arriving near it at about 


270 ON LAND AND SEA WITH C^SAR 


the same time. To their dismay, they found 
that in their absence it had been besieged, a 
circle of the enemy cutting them off from an 
approach to it. 

“ Centurion Colenus,” said the Knight Tre- 
bonius, addressing Titus, “ call the other cen¬ 
turions here to me.” 

Titus made his way about the ranks of his 
own and one other cohort, which had ap¬ 
proached the camp together, summoning the 
officers to the hastily called council of war. 

Trebonius, one of the lieutenants, finding 
that the tribunes did not agree with him as to 
the best course to pursue to reach camp, de¬ 
sired the centurions to have their say also. No 
officer had been placed in supreme command 
for the day and the lack of central authority 
was having its bad effects on the men outside 
the camp, as well as those inside. 

“ There are many counsels,” said Trebonius, 
when all the centurions had been assembled. 
‘‘ Some are urging this move, others that. We 
must decide on something quickly and do it. 
If we fail to act we are lost. I propose this 
measure. Let us charge forward and cut our 
way into camp. What say you? ” 


AN EARLY SPRING CAMPAIGN 271 

“ That’s the spirit.” 

“ We can do it.” 

“ Surely, forward all together.” 

The centurions eagerly assented to his plan. 
A few tribunes advised waiting to determine 
the numbers of the enemy, but Trebonius cut 
them short. 

“ A vote. At once. All who favor cutting 
our way into camp raise your swords.” 

Eager hands seized the hilts of trusty swords, 
the weapons were snatched from the scabbards 
and the bright blades flashed in air. 

“ Take command, sir,” urged Pulfio, the 
senior centurion of the group. “We are all 
with you. Lead us on.” 

“Right!” shouted Titus, while the other 
centurions chorused their assent. 

Placing in the center the camp-followers and 
servants who had gone out with the legionaries, 
Trebonius ordered the armed men marshaled 
in a triangular formation. Leading on this 
flying wedge, the knight drove its steady ranks 
straight through the masses of the enemy and 
reached the camp in safety, with all the sup¬ 
plies that had been secured, with few losses 
among the men. 


272 ON LAND AND SEA WITH CAESAR 

Another group of cohorts, not so well led, 
made a stand against the enemy on a low, 
round hill and had drawn up in a circle to 
defend themselves. Seeing the success of Tre- 
bonius’ method, they, too, formed into a fly¬ 
ing wedge and started for the camp gates. 

But, unfortunately for this group of le¬ 
gionaries, the enemy were ready for the ma- 
noeuver and swarmed savagely at them. These 
cohorts contained more of the new recruits, 
who showed less steadiness than those led by 
Trebonius. They allowed their ranks to be 
broken, but eventually reached the shelter of 
the camp, after sustaining heavy losses. 

“ It has been a bad day,” exclaimed Titus, 
when at length he found his cousin Julius. 

“ It has, indeed. Almost a disaster.” 

“ Well, we are safe at last.” 

“ We are lucky, that’s all there is to it,” de¬ 
clared Julius. “ Wait till I tell you how close 
we came to having the camp captured.” 

And he related the heroism of the wounded 
Baculus in rallying the panic-stricken legion¬ 
aries. 

The Roman armv reassembled its scattered 
units and the remaining weeks of the summer 


AN EARLY SPRING CAMPAIGN 273 


were spent in a vain attempt to find and punish 
Ambiorix, but he succeeded in eluding cap¬ 
ture. Some said he fled to Britain. 

The conspiracy of the Senones and Carnutes 
was punished and their leader, Acco, had the 
death penalty pronounced upon him. The 
other leaders of the rebellion fled from the 
country and Csesar placed his army in winter 
quarters. 

This season the troops were quartered nearer 
together than they had been the preceding 
winter. Two legions were camped on the 
frontiers of the Treveri, two were placed 
among the Lingones, who were friendly, and 
the remaining six wintered in one camp in the 
country of the Senones, 

The supplies of food were abundant and 
Csesar thought it safe for him to return to 
Italy. 

Before he left, he again made rewards among 
his officers for gallant conduct during the cam¬ 
paign, Baculus in particular receiving a gen¬ 
erous gift and high praise from his commander 
for his distinguished service in saving the gar¬ 
rison at Aduatuca from disaster. 

In private conversation with the gallant 


274 ON LAND AND SEA WITH CiESAR 

centurion Csesar said, “ Baculus, it seems to 
me the twelfth legion has had more than its 
share of hard service this year.” 

“ It has been badly cut up, sir, several times, 
but we have at least kept our eagles.” 

“ Thanks to you, Baculus.” 

“ Not to me alone,” replied the centurion. 
“ We have some valiant officers in our ranks. 
Could you spare us a few more recruits to fill 
up our ranks once more? ” 

“ That reminds me,” said the general, “ that 
before I leave Gaul I must promote some of 
the lower officers. You need some additional 
centurions, do you not, to replace losses? ” 

“ Yes, sir.” 

“ There are some that for their services 
should be given full rank. I have in mind 
especially Pulfio and Varenus. Do you sug¬ 
gest others who should rank among the first? ” 
“ There are the two Colenus boys. They 
are young, I know, but they measure up to the 
responsibility, and since you ask for a sugges¬ 
tion, I make bold to ask that Centurion Titus 
Colenus and Centurion Julius Colenus be given 
highest rank.” 

‘‘ It shall be done,” said Caesar. 


CHAPTER XXIII 


OLD FRIENDS. A NEW ENEMY 

“ Shall I ever make a good soldier, do you 
think? ” asked young Lucius Colenus. 

“ Why, of course you will,” said his older 
brother, Centurion Titus Colenus, encourag¬ 
ingly. “ You are coming along finely.” 

Titus was instructing his brother in the 
tactics the young legionary was supposed to 
know to keep his place in the ranks as they 
manoeuvered from one formation to another. 
The younger boy had only recently joined the 
Roman army, called into service in a levy of 
new troops that Csesar had made to recruit his 
legions to full strength. 

Lucius and other new men had been added 
to the ranks of the twelfth legion and it was 
a great pleasure to Titus to have his brother 
with him, while Julius also was pleased to have 
his young cousin with the eagles. 

“ Never mind your awkwardness,” said 

Julius. “ You don’t act half so green, Lucius, 

276 


276 ON LAND AND SEA WITH C^SAR 


as Titus and I did when we first entered the 
army. I know just how you feel, for we all 
have to go through the same experience till we 
become veterans. You’ll learn soon enough. 
Really, I think you are coming along finely.” 

“ Thanks for that,” said Lucius. “ Maybe 
I’ll become a centurion in time, as you have.” 

“ I surely hope you will,” said Titus. 

“ It’s fine of you to give me this instruction,” 
continued Lucius. “ I was a little afraid when 
I first knew I was to be put in your cohort 
that I might get it all the worse because I had 
my brother for an officer.” 

“ What made you think that, you young 
scamp? ” retorted Titus. You wait and see. 
If you don’t obey orders I’ll see that you get 
well disciplined.” 

“ Did you have some one to teach you, too, 
when you first joined the army? ” asked Lu¬ 
cius. 

‘‘We did that,” answered Titus. “ A fine 
man he was, too, Gametius. He is now the 
standard-bearer of the tenth legion. I must 
have you get acquainted with him.” 

The Colenus boys had not seen so much of 
their old friend Gametius during the last cam- 


OLD FRIENDS. A NEW ENEMY 277 


paign as they had in some of their first army 
experiences. Their own increased duties as 
they rose in rank, and the fact that the legions 
had been more or less separated had prevented 
them from meeting often. 

However, during the present winter the le¬ 
gions were more concentrated, the tenth and 
twelfth, with four others, being in the large 
camp among the Senones, and Titus and Julius 
had seen a great deal more of their former in¬ 
structor. Gametius took the greatest pride in 
the promotions that had come to his young 
charges. 

The legions were having an easy winter in 
camp and the country for the time being, at 
least, seemed free from danger of insurrection. 

Cgesar had gone to Rome. His six years’ 
campaigns in Gaul had borne good f ruit. Gaul, 
to all appearances, had been subdued, while its 
neighbors, the Britons and the Germans, had 
been taught not to interfere with the affairs of 
Cesar’s new province. Some German tribes, 
indeed, had been so far subdued that they were 
paying tribute to Csesar and were pledged to 
send forces to his army if he needed help from 
them. 


278 ON LAND AND SEA WITH CAESAR 

In Rome, political disturbances had reached 
an acute point. The factional contests among 
the different leaders had brought about serious 
disorders, and after the murder of Clodius, all 
the youth of Rome had been ordered to take 
the military oath and join the eagles of some 
legion. Civil war seemed about to break out. 
Ceesar, although his provinces were distant 
from the scene of the trouble, thought it well 
to have a full army in case he should be drawn 
into the trouble. Accordingly, he ordered a 
general draft in Cisalpine Gaul and the Prov¬ 
ince. 

News of the disturbances in Rome reached 
Transalpine Gaul, arousing a spirit of revolt 
again among the Gallic nobles. With all the 
warfare the unhappy country had experienced, 
it was not yet fully tranquillized and another 
struggle to throw off the Roman yoke was 
about to begin. 

As soon as Csesar’s back was turned, new 
plotting against him began. The conspirators 
met in secret to discuss their grievances, the 
payment of tribute, the support of the Roman 
legions in their country, the devastation of the 
land during the wars and other troubles that 


OLD FRIENDS. A NEW ENEMY 379 


they considered burdensome. Most of all, they 
felt that they were losing their liberty. 

The rebellious Gallic chieftains bound them¬ 
selves with a solemn oath to die if need be in 
defense of their rights. The plan was made 
to attack, or at least to blockade, the Roman 
camps before Csesar could return to his army 
in Gaul and to try to waylay the commander 
himself on his return. 

Open revolt began among the Carnutes, 
who took a most solemn oath on their mili¬ 
tary standards and pledged resistance to the 
end if the other tribes would sustain them. 
The Carnutes assembled an army and, on an 
appointed day, they fell upon the town of 
Genabum (Orleans) and massacred all the 
Romans, mostly traders, who were in the place. 
Among the slain was a distinguished Roman 
knight, Caius Fusius Cita, who was acting as 
the head of the service of supply for the army. 

News of this outbreak traveled like lightning 
through the country. Intelligence of it went, 
partly by signal fires, from Genabum to Ger- 
govia, a hundred and sixty miles, between sun¬ 
rise and the middle of the forenoon. 

At Gergovia lived a young chief, Vercinge- 


280 ON LAND AND SEA WITH CiESAR 


torix, son of Celtillus, the Arvernian, who had 
been put to death for aspiring to the sov¬ 
ereignty of all Gaul. The young man had his 
father’s ambition and, not deterred by his 
father’s fate, he boldly determined to become 
the leader of an insurrection that should drive 
the Romans out of Gaul. 

Older chieftains of his tribe did not think 
the moment opportune for an uprising. Ver- 
cingetorix was expelled from Gergovia, the 
chief stronghold of the Arverni, who had long 
been the faithful allies of the Romans. 

But the young Gallic noble was not to be 
turned from his purpose. He called to his 
standard all the poor and desperate. Many 
of the young and ambitious nobles joined him 
with their followers and he soon became so 
strong that he drove out the other chiefs, es¬ 
tablishing himself at Gergovia. Hailed as 
king, he drew to his allegiance most of the 
tribes of Central Gaul, the iEduans alone de¬ 
clining to take part in the uprising. 

A new enemy had arisen. In the young 
Arvernian noble, Vercingetorix, Cgesar was to 
face the most formidable foe he had met in all 
his campaigns. The army of the rebels grew 


OLD FRIENDS. A NEW ENEMY 281 


by leaps and bounds. The Gauls were divided 
into pro-Roman and anti-Roman parties, as 
they had been, for that matter, ever since the 
Roman occupation. Vercingetorix did not 
hesitate to march against his own countrymen 
who did not favor his plan for a general up¬ 
rising. 

Caesar heard of these movements while in 
Italy and hastened to the front. On reaching 
Cisalpine Gaul, he soon saw that he was in a 
serious dilemma. The Gallic chiefs had been 
shrewd in their plans and in the timing of the 
revolt, taking Csesar at a disadvantage. 

He could not send for his legions to come 
to him. He could neither send messengers to 
them nor direct their movements, for the enemy 
lay between him and his troops. Isolated as 
they were, the legions might be cut to pieces if 
they attempted to move from their fortified 
camps. So general had become the dissatisfac¬ 
tion in Gaul, even where the tribes were not 
in open revolt, that it was not safe for Caesar 
to attempt to reach his legions by a march 
through the enemy’s country. 

News came that the Province, the territory 
along the Mediterranean seacoast in Gaul, 


282 ON LAND AND SEA WITH CJESAR 

long a tranquil Roman dominion, was threat¬ 
ened with an attack. The rebellious leaders 
of Transalpine Gaul were planning to capture 
the seaport of Narbo, whose citizens, both Ro¬ 
mans and natives, became greatly frightened at 
the rumor. 

Caesar immediately proceeded to Narbo, gar¬ 
risoned the city and raised an army in the 
Province from new recruits. His coming re¬ 
stored confidence. The inhabitants of the 
Province were protected by sufficient forces 
so that no successful invasion of the country 
could be made, and Caesar hastened to the ter¬ 
ritory of the Helvetians, where he had ordered 
the new recruits from Cisalpine Gaul to be 
assembled. 

This movement was designed to draw the 
attention of Vercingetorix to the Roman gen¬ 
eral and prevent the rebel leader from attack¬ 
ing the legions in their winter quarters in 
Northern Gaul, far from the scene of the be¬ 
ginning of the revolt and the threatened attack 
on the Province. 

Caesar began his campaign with a bold, sen¬ 
sational stroke. Although the snow was six 
feet deep, he marched his troops with in- 


OLD FRIENDS. A NEW ENEMY 283 


credible hardships across the Gehenna moun¬ 
tains, down the Loire valley and into the coun¬ 
try of the Arverni. His cavalry was then sent 
out to devastate the country in a wide swath. 

Astonished to see an army emerge unex¬ 
pectedly from that part of the Alps, through 
which no individual, even, to say nothing of a 
body of troops, had ever crossed in winter, the 
Arverni sent a hurried call to Vercingetorix for 
aid. Dumfounded that their land had been 
made the scene of war, instead of the Province, 
which they had expected to wrest from Csesar’s 
grasp, the Gauls moved by forced marches 
from the south to pursue Caesar. Vercinge¬ 
torix was drawn away from the region where 
he could best direct the cause he had embarked 
on. Instead of taking the initiative, he was 
compelled to act on the defensive. 

Caesar moved rapidly along the River Rhone, 
marching northward through the land of the 
^dui to that of the Lingones, where two of his 
legions were in winter quarters, and ordered 
two other legions that had been among the 
Treveri to concentrate with him. 

With four legions under his direct command 
and with no hostile army to oppose his move- 


284 ON LAND AND SEA WITH CMSAR 


merits, he could easily join his remaining six 
legions among the Senones. His advance had 
been so rapid that he kept ahead of the pur¬ 
suit made by Vercingetorix. His swift and 
well-planned movement puzzled the Gauls, 
making them wonder where his next blow 
might fall. It forestalled any attacks those 
tribes might make which had not yet been 
fully pledged to the revolt. 

Vercingetorix withdrew from his pursuit of 
Caesar and marched against the capital of the 
Boii, who had remained faithful to Rome. 
Csesar, leaving two legions to guard his camp, 
took two legions in a rapid winter march across 
the country to relieve the Boii, capturing rebel 
towns as he went and laying the country waste. 

Disappointed again in his plans for detach¬ 
ing loyal tribes from their allegiance to Csesar 
or from capturing territory held by the Ro¬ 
mans, Vercingetorix gave up his operations 
against the Boii and called an assembly of the 
Gallic tribes at his own capital. 

He informed the chiefs who were allied with 
him that in order successfully to resist the 
Romans, the Gauls must adopt a system of 
guerrilla warfare. He urged them to harass 


OLD FRIENDS. A NEW ENEMY 285 


the legions whenever opportunity offered and 
to cut them off from rations and from forage 
for their animals, thus rendering Csesar’s cav¬ 
alry useless. To meet the steady Roman le¬ 
gions in pitched battle, he declared, was hope¬ 
less. Past experience had taught the Gauls 
that their enemies were always victorious in 
battle; the only way to resist the Romans suc¬ 
cessfully was to burn their own farmhouses 
and villages and to destroy all provisions that 
could not be taken to fortified strongholds. 
This plan might bring victory. 

In short, his plan was to render the country 
waste, hoping to starve the Romans out, no 
matter what hardships this course would bring 
the Gauls themselves, then finally to fall upon 
the legions when they were obliged to scatter 
to forage for supplies. To this hard course 
the rebel leaders agreed. They were willing to 
make supreme sacrifices to gain an ultimate 
victory. 

The Bituriges, through whose country it was 
believed Cgesar would march next, burned 
twenty of their towns in one day, sparing only 
Avaricum because it had exceptional advan¬ 
tages for defense, placing in it a strong gar- 


286 ON LAND AND SEA WITH C^SAR 

rison. Vercingetorix withdrew with the bulk 
of his army to watch the Roman operations. 

Csesar lost no time in attacking Avaricum, 
and captured it after a long siege. It was so 
vigorously defended that once the Roman gen¬ 
eral, careful of the welfare of his troops, was 
on the point of giving up his attack. He 
made the offer to the legionaries to raise the 
siege if they were suffering too great hard¬ 
ships in the wet, cold weather of the early 
spring, but from his soldiers came a prompt, 
emphatic “ No.” The legionaries would 
avenge the death of their slaughtered comrades 
at any cost. 

Gaul and Roman were thoroughly aroused. 
The struggle went on with a bitterness no 
previous campaign had' seen. 

Avaricum fell before the Roman attack, but 
instead of losing heart, the Gauls continued 
their revolt with even greater determination. 
By skilful appeals to neighboring tribes Ver¬ 
cingetorix replaced all troops lost in the siege, 
reinforcements coming to swell his army to 
larger numbers than before. He advised the 
Gauls to copy the Roman method and fortify 
their camps in the field. The war was to go on. 


QLD FRIENDS. A NEW ENEMY 287 


In Avaricum Csesar found a large store of 
provisions, which were badly needed by his 
army. The legionaries were given a much- 
needed rest. 

Spring was well-advanced, and the time for 
active operations on a wider scale had come. 

Labienus was sent with four legions to the 
River Seine against the Senones and Parish, 
who had been roused to revolt by Vercinge- 
torix, while Csesar, with six legions, marched 
on Gergovia in the land of the Arverni. The 
Arverni, although they had for years been the 
faithful allies of the Romans, were now the 
center of the rebellion. The iEduans, also, 
appeared to be on the point of repudiating 
pledges of long standing and joining the re¬ 
volt. 


CHAPTER XXIV 


THE REBELLION SPREADS 

“ Well, Lucius,” remarked Julius, at the 
close of a hard day’s journey, “ are you get¬ 
ting all the marching you want on your first 
campaign? ” 

“ More than enough,” replied his young 
cousin. “ Shall we have to tramp day after 
day all summer like this? ” 

“ Can’t tell,” said his brother Titus, laconi¬ 
cally. 

“ There will be more rather than less be¬ 
fore the campaign is over,” said Julius. “ You 
may be sure of that. Why, we have marched 
clear across Gaul and back again, I don’t know 
how many times.” 

The twelfth legion had been one of the four 
taken by Caesar’s able lieutenant, Titus Labie- 
nus, on his expedition against the Parish. 
Reaching their chief town, Lutetia (Paris), 
located on an island in the Seine, he found it 

well defended and had been obliged to do con- 

288 


THE REBELLION SPREADS 289 

siderable manoeuvering for a favorable posi¬ 
tion. 

The Parisii burned all bridges leading to 
their town, and in addition to having a strong 
garrison inside the walls they maintained an 
army outside to follow Labienus’ movements. 
Before a decisive battle had been fought, dis¬ 
quieting news came to the Roman lieutenant. 

Caesar had been unsuccessful in his attempt 
to capture the stronghold of Gergovia, capital 
of the Arverni, his assault being repulsed with 
heavy losses. The ^duans had joined the 
growing revolt and the Bellovaci, hearing of 
this, assembled troops for war. 

The Gauls who brought these tidings added 
details from their imagination designed to 
frighten the forces of Labienus, saying that 
Cassar had been forced to fall back on the 
Province after his defeat, failing to secure 
enough provisions for his army. 

Labienus, cut off from his base of supplies 
by the rising of the Bellovaci, resolved to re¬ 
treat and join forces with his general, for, 
single-handed, neither of them could suppress 
the growing insurrection. To retreat, it was 
necessary for him to reach the opposite bank of 


290 ON LAND AND SEA WITH C^SAR 

the Seine, no small task in the face of an hostile 
army. He determined on a ruse. 

Calling his officers together in council, the 
lieutenant outlined his plan and gave directions 
about what each unit of his forces must do. 
The boats that he had with his army he ordered 
to be taken down the river quietly at night. 
Five of the steadiest cohorts of one legion were 
left in camp, while its other five cohorts were 
instructed to take some small boats and pro¬ 
ceed up the river in a noisy manner, so that the 
enemy might think that they were marching 
away in that direction. 

Leading his three remaining legions down¬ 
stream, Labienus succeeded in getting all 
across the river safely in the waiting boats. A 
stormy night aided them in the movement, the 
few outposts of the enemy that were en¬ 
countered having taken shelter from the storm. 
All opposition was easily overcome. 

The enemy, learning that the Roman lieu¬ 
tenant had divided his force into three detach¬ 
ments, but not knowing his purpose in doing 
so, split up into three divisions themselves and 
attempted to surroimd the retreating Romans 
and cut them off. 


THE REBELLION SPREADS 


291 


“ There, daylight will soon break,” said 
Titus. “ Then we can see better what we are 
doing.” 

“ Are all our legionaries over the stream? ” 
inquired Julius. 

“Yes, the last boatload has arrived. It was 
my work to check up on that.” 

Baculus came up to where his young officers 
were standing. 

“ Draw up your men in ranks, now,” he 
ordered. “We are to make an attack on the 
enemy at daybreak.” 

The charge of the legionaries was met with 
boldness by the enemy. The seventh legion 
succeeded in breaking the ranks of the bar¬ 
barians who were opposed to them, forcing the 
foe to flee, but the twelfth legion, on the left 
flank, found themselves opposed to stubborn 
enemies, who, fighting under the eye of their 
commander-in-chief, put up a resistance that 
could not be overcome. The seventh legion, 
after its success on the right of the battle line, 
charged upon the enemy on their flank and 
threw their ranks into confusion. 

The Gauls fought bravely, but were over¬ 
whelmed and cut to pieces, their leader being 


292 ON LAND AND SEA WITH CiESAR 

killed. The Homan cavalry were sent in pur¬ 
suit, dispersing all the Gauls that were in the 
vicinity. 

What had been meant only as a movement 
to cover the retreat of the legionaries resulted 
in a great victory for the Romans. 

Then Labienus’ forces were reunited and all 
together they marched back again to rejoin 
Csesar before more hostile tribes could close in 
about him. The two parts of the Roman army 
met at the central base of supplies at Agendi- 
cum. Once again the Gauls had failed per¬ 
manently to divide the Roman forces. 

But the revolt was spreading daily as the 
summer progressed. All Gaul was aflame with 
it. To a council called at Bibracte came all the 
tribes but three, the Remi, the Lingones, and 
the Treveri. Here, the leader of the ^duans 
claimed the chief command of the rebel army 
as his right, but it was given to Vercingetorix 
after a stormy debate among the Gallic chiefs. 

‘‘What think you, Baculus? ” inquired 
Gametius. “We are facing a tremendous 
struggle with the Gauls. Don’t you fear so? ” 

The standard-bearer of the tenth legion was 
conversing with a group of the centurions of 


THE REBELLION SPREADS 293 

the twelfth. Baculus, the first centurion, did 
not immediately reply, but scribbling some¬ 
thing on a wax tablet, he handed it to one of 
his sub-centurions with the words: 

“ Balbus, take this to the tribune who is in 
command of the legion for to-day. It is a 
report he asked me for. When you have de¬ 
livered it, you may go to your quarters. Stop 
at Pulfio’s tent on your way and ask him to 
come here to me at once.” 

The officer obeyed. The other members of 
the group left in the tent watched Baculus 
closely, guessing by his serious manner that he 
had something on his mind. 

The veteran centurion did not speak till 
Pulfio had come, bringing with him another 
centurion. 

“ Gametius,” he began, “ you have asked a 
question that is bothering many of us. Of the 
steadfastness of your own tenth legion, there 
is not the slightest doubt. All its officers and 
most of its men are veterans of many cam¬ 
paigns. They will be steady in any emer¬ 
gency.” 

“ So is your legion a veteran one,” said 
Gametius. “ Do you doubt its steadiness? ” 


294 ON LAND AND SEA WITH CAESAR 


“No, I do not doubt it,’’ replied Baeulus, 
“ but I think as you do that the most tremen¬ 
dous struggle we have ever been in is coming. 
The reason I sent Balbus away,” he said, turn¬ 
ing to the centurions about him, “ is because 
he is less experienced than the rest of you. 
There are other officers in our legion, and in 
others, too, who are going to be put to a hard 
test to keep their men in line. We shall need 
to give the best leadership that is in us and 
that is why I want a little conference with 
some of you on whom there is going to be a 
heavy responsibility if fortune does not favor 
us as it has done in the past.” 

“ You can count on me,” declared Pulfio, 
without the least trace of his former boastful¬ 
ness. 

“ Yes, I know I can,” continued the first 
centurion. “ On you, too, Varenus. You cen¬ 
turions of the first rank have shown your worth 
on many occasions. You, Titus, and you, 
Julius, have come up to the first rank because 
of your bravery and your ability to lead your 
men well in tight places.” 

He went on to speak to other officers by 
name, telling them that they must keep close 


THE REBELLION SPREADS 


295 


Watch on all the sub-centurions and encourage 
them in every way. 

“ I want this legion,” he concluded, “ to 
show its mettle. Let us equal the tenth legion, 
whose men have followed the eagles into many 
a tough battle and have never broken ranks in 
the face of the enemy. I want you to see to 
it that the same may be said of the twelfth 
when this season’s work is ended.” 

The conversation drifted to the odds against 
the Roman army. 

“ Vercingetorix has ordered a general levy 
of cavalry from all the Gallic tribes, I hear,” 
said one centurion. 

“Yes,” spoke up another, “ he has asked 
hostages of all the allied tribes. He has dev¬ 
astated his own country to render it useless 
to us. Now, he evidently proposes to kill the 
hostages if any of his allies waver in their alle¬ 
giance. It is said that he has put to death 
with cruel torture some deserters from his 
army whom he recaptured.” 

“ There is no question,” said Titus, “ but 
that he is the ablest leader that has ever risen 
against us in Gaul.” 

“He has plenty of infantry,” said Julius, 


296 ON LAND AND SEA WITH C^SAR 


“ more than he can use, in fact, to good ad¬ 
vantage. I think that is why he has ordered 
out more cavalry to add to the fifteen thousand 
he already has. He can let some of the foot 
soldiers go home to harvest the crops if he has 
the more mobile horsemen to send against us.” 

“ Cgesar will have more cavalry, too,” com¬ 
mented Baculus. “ He has ordered the friendly 
German tribes to send us some additional 
horsemen, you know.” 

“ This guerrilla warfare that Vercingetorix 
has been waging will come to an end very soon, 
I think,” declared Gametius. “ Then will 
come the final test of strength. It is Roman 
against Gaul in one last finish fight.” 

“ The last stand of the Gauls? ” inquired 
Julius. 

“ Yes, young man,” said Baculus, earnestly, 
“ the last stand, if you and the others do your 
part. If not, it may be their final victory and 
our last stand in Gaul. Remember that. 
Don’t ever let your men get out of hand.” 

“ That’s good advice,” said Gametius. “We 
came near meeting disaster at the siege of 
Gergovia because the troops pressed on after 
they had been recalled. The officers could not 


THE REBELLION SPREADS 


297 


control the men. The soldiers took things into 
their own hands and their rashness came close 
to causing a defeat for our whole army.” 

The rebel army under Vercingetorix, 
some 80,000 strong, was stationed at Bibracte 
to intercept Csesar’s march to his base of 
supplies. The Roman general had with him 
his ten legions, numbering about 50,000, with 
some 25,000 additional light-armed troops as 
auxiliaries, including the 5,000 cavalry from 
the German tribes and the few Gallic tribes 
who remained faithful. 

Caesar could not march directly south to the 
Province, for between him and it lay the coun¬ 
try of the -dSduans, now fully pledged to the 
rebellion. He therefore headed towards Veson- 
tib, where he had a good base of supplies, fol¬ 
lowing the same route he had pursued when 
going to meet the German king, Ariovistus, in 
his first campaign in Gaul. His ultimate pur¬ 
pose was to cut his way through the lines of 
the enemy to reach the Province, where he 
could establish a new base of supplies. 

It began to look as if the general must begin 
all over again in his conquest of Gaul, start¬ 
ing as he did at first, six years before, from 


298 ON LAND AND SEA WITH CAESAR 

the Raman Province. The result of six hard 
years’ work had apparently been wiped out, 
the gains of his brilliant campaigns had been 
swept away and the new rebel leader had re¬ 
united his countrymen in a resistance to the 
Roman that seemed likely to be crowned with 
success. Vercingetorix was proving that he 
was well named. His name means literally 
“ chieftain of a hundred heads,” signifying a 
great captain. 

The rebel leader’s position on the heights of 
Sacquenay was a strong one. At a junction of 
the main roads in that part of the country, it 
commanded three of the possible routes of 
march Ceesar might follow. On each of three 
easily defended heights Vercingetorix placed 
a third of his army. 

He called a council of war and declared to 
the chiefs who were allied with him that the 
moment had come to strike the decisive blow 
that would drive the hated Roman from the 
land. If Ceesar reached the Province, he pre¬ 
dicted, he would return with larger forces and 
Gaul would be subdued. If his army were at¬ 
tacked on the march and destroyed, no Roman 
would ever return. 


THE REBELLION SPREADS 


299 


The Gallic cavalry, the flower of its army, 
was encouraged to put forth its best efforts. 
These picked troops, made up of members of 
the nobility and the most daring young men 
of the country, took a vow that every soldier 
should be forever deprived of all his rights if 
he did not ride twice through and through the 
Roman army. 

On marched the Roman columns, into the 
plain before the heights of Sacquenay. 

The Gallic cavalry was divided into three 
bodies, each of which had received its orders 
from Vercingetorix. One was to attack the 
head of the Roman column, the two others 
were to attack on both flanks. 

The head of the Roman column came in 
sight. The waiting Gallic horsemen hurled 
themselves upon it. 

Taking in the situation at a glance, Cassar 
had ordered his troops into formation to meet 
the onslaught on the head of his column, when 
he saw other bodies of horsemen appear on 
each flank. Three lines of legions were formed 
in hollow square, the baggage-trains, as they 
came up from the rear, were marched inside 
the square for protection and the Roman cav- 


300 ON LAND AND SEA WITH CAESAR 

airy were quickly deployed as skirmishers in 
advance of the lines of the legionaries. 

When his horsemen were hard-pressed as 
the battle went on, Caesar sent his infantry for¬ 
ward to their support. Vercingetorix did not 
put his infantry into action. The Roman gen¬ 
eral divided his cavalry into three bodies, to 
meet the attacks threatened on three sides by 
the rebel cavalry. His German horsemen 
proved their mettle, and, supported by the 
steady legions, they held their ground against 
all attacks. 

At length, one body of German cavalry, on 
the right wing of the battle line, gained the 
top of a hill, and, dislodging the Gallic cavalry, 
pressed it back to the river on which Vercinge¬ 
torix had stationed his infantry. The rest of 
the Gallic horse, disheartened at this reverse, 
took flight, forgetting their boasted promise to 
ride through and through the Roman ranks. 

Their retreat became a rout, the battle never 
getting farther than the cavalry skirmish with 
which it opened. Caesar’s horsemen boldly fol¬ 
lowed up their success, slaughtering the flee¬ 
ing Gauls. Several of the highest !^duan 
nobles and many lesser chiefs were taken 


THE REBELLION SPREADS 


301 


prisoners, among them Cotus, who commanded 
the iEduan cavalry, and Cavarillus, who com¬ 
manded the infantry. 

The hopes of the Gauls were dashed to the 
ground and Vercingetorix retired from his 
strong position on the heights to the fortress 
of Alesia, ordering all his baggage to follow. 
His infantry was stationed within the walls of 
the stronghold. His cavalry had been scat¬ 
tered in the action and three thousand of them 
were slain. 

Caesar, following up the advantage gained 
by the valor of his German cavalry, left two 
legions in camp to guard the baggage-train and 
set out in immediate pursuit of Vercingetorix. 
Arriving at Alesia, he found the enemy had 
become panic-stricken because their cavalry, on 
which they had placed their chief reliance, had 
been beaten. He encouraged his legionaries to 
further exertion, beginning at once to throw 
up earthworks about Alesia to besiege it. 

“ That battle yesterday was easy enough,” 
said young Lucius Colenus. “ We legionaries 
hardly had to fight at all. The cavalry did all 
the work.” 

“ True enough,” said his brother Titus, ‘‘ but 


302 ON LAND AND SEA WITH CMSAR 


your work is coming now. Get busy with your 
shovel. You are going to see how we build 
siege-works about a big town.”' 

“ The old fox, Vercingetorix, is in his hole,” 
declared Julius. “ We’ll dig him out. He’s 
cornered at last.” 

^The siege of Alesia is one of the most notable ones of 
ancient times. 


CHAPTER XXV 


THE LAST STAND OF THE GAULS 

Alesia, chief town of the tribe of the Man- 
dubii, lay on an isolated hill (Mount Auxois), 
or, rather, an oval plateau, a mile and a quar¬ 
ter long east and west and a half-mile wide 
at the center from north to south. It rose five 
hundred feet above the surrounding valleys, 
two rivers flowing by the base of the plateau. 

In front of the town to the west was a plain 
some three miles in length from north to south, 
cut in two by a small brook. Around the town 
on the other three sides, at a distance of a 
mile from the plateau, was a line of hills of 
about the same height as Mount Auxois, sep¬ 
arated from each other by smoothly sloping 
valleys. The grade leading to the plateau was 
easy, but at the top was a wall of rock, very 
steep, and impracticable to assault. There were 
springs and wells on the summit, furnishing 
an abundant water supply. 

The Gauls were encamped on the east of 

the town, under the walls, and had dug a 

303 


304 ON LAND AND SEA WITH C^SAR 

trench and built a stone wall six feet high as 
a defense. Vercingetorix had with him as a 
garrison some eighty thousand men, both in¬ 
fantry and cavalry. 

Titus, placed again in direction of part of 
the siege-works as an assistant engineer, was 
busy day and night with the labor of throw¬ 
ing up entrenchments to surround the fortress. 
To invest the place thoroughly it was necessary 
to maintain a line of fortifications eleven miles 
long. 

Twenty-three strong redoubts were built by 
the Romans, four of them strongly fortified 
infantry camps for the legions, and as many 
more for the allied cavalry, chiefly Germans. 
These were located at strategic points to pre¬ 
vent the enemy from making a sally from the 
town. As the work progressed, the camps and 
the smaller redoubts were connected with a line 
of earthworks. 

Before the siege-works were completed, 
Vercingetorix sent out his cavalry on the open 
plain at the west of the town. There they met 
the cavalry of the Romans in a skirmish which 
at first went unfavorably for Caesar’s forces, 
but the legionaries were sent up to the support 


THE LAST STAND OF THE GAULS 305 

of the horsemen. Then the Gauls retired in 
confusion, pursued to the gates of their en¬ 
trenchments. 

The rebel leader withdrew from the plain 
to the top of the plateau on which the town 
was located, seeing that a siege was inevitable. 
In order that there might be more provisions 
for his infantry, he sent all his fifteen thousand 
cavalry away by night. This force made its 
escape up the river valley before the Romans 
had completed their line of entrenchments. 
The Gallic horsemen were sent out with orders 
to ride about the country and spur the Gauls 
on to raise an army to attack Csesar in the rear 
and compel him to raise the siege. 

“ How goes the work, Centurion Colenus? ” 
asked Csesar, as on one of his daily trips of in¬ 
spection about the lines he came to the place 
where Titus was at work directing his men. 

“ It goes well, sir,” replied the young man. 
“ I never saw the legionaries toil with better 
spirit. They are accomplishing wonders.” 

“ Indeed, they are,” said the general, heartily. 
“ Just forty days ago we began these vast 
works, and I believe that in three days more we 
shall have them all finished.” 


306 ON LAND AND SEA WITH CAESAR 


“ They are a marvel of completeness, sir,” 
said Titus. “ Even your chief engineer, the 
Knight Mamurra, who, as you know, is hard 
to please, is satisfied that the enemy can never 
break through our lines.” 

“ I am glad to know he is satisfied,” com¬ 
mented Ceesar. “ We have spent many hours 
together planning our works and inventing the 
new devices we have made to hold the foe in 
check. I have heard from Rome that my en¬ 
emies there are silenced for once. They are 
saying in Rome that such a work as we are 
building could scarcely be imagined by a mor¬ 
tal man, while only a god could execute it 
That favorable report comes from my friends, 
of course.” 

The completeness of the preparations for 
defense might indeed cause amazement, not 
only to the soldiers who were at work on them, 
but to all who heard of them. They were built 
as much with a view to defense as for the 
operation against the besieged town, for Csesar 
knew that the enemy would rally to relieve 
Alesia. To defend himself against attack from 
the rear, the general ordered a second line of 
earthworks to be built, two hundred yards dis- 


THE LAST STAND OF THE GAULS 307 


tant from the first, this second line extending 
fourteen miles in circumference. 

At the west side of the town, where from 
the nature of the ground it appeared most 
likely that the garrison of Alesia might at¬ 
tempt a sally to break through the Roman 
lines, Csesar had ordered an additional trench 
dug four hundred feet in front of the main 
line of his earthworks facing the town. This 
trench was twenty feet wide and twenty feet 
deep, with perpendicular sides. All the earth 
taken from this enormous trench was piled up 
behind it. 

In front of the main line of earthworks were 
also two other trenches, the first one fifteen 
feet wide and deep, on low ground, so located 
that one of the streams which flowed by the 
town could be diverted into it. Back of this 
was a dry ditch of the same dimensions. These 
ditches continued half a mile south of the river 
up the slope of the hill south of the town. 

Back of these was the main rampart, with 
a wall twelve feet high, surmounted by a para¬ 
pet of wicker hurdles and battlements made 
of pronged sticks, “ like stags’ horns,” the le¬ 
gionaries said. The prongs projected outward 


308 ON LAND AND SEA WITH C^SAR 


and downward to hinder any one who might 
attempt to scale the wall. 

At intervals along the wall were towers 
eighty feet high, on the platforms of which 
large numbers of archers and slingers could 
be stationed. This part of the works extended 
a mile and a half in length. 

Not all parts of the long line of eleven miles 
of the inner works were so strongly fortified, 
for in many places the nature of the ground 
made attack difficult. The twenty-three camps 
and redoubts were so stationed that they com¬ 
manded a good view of the plain and the forces 
in them could be despatched quickly to any 
part of the line to resist a threatened attack. 

Such attacks were made at intervals while 
the siege-works were being built, the enemy 
trying to hinder the progress that was being 
made to blockade them, attempting to destroy 
the works, but all attacks were repulsed. Ver- 
cingetorix made no determined effort to cut 
his way out of his stronghold, believing that 
he had provisions enough for a long siege and 
hoping that before his supplies were exhausted, 
the Gallic chieftains who were allied with him 
would come to his relief with a huge army. 


THE LAST STAND OF THE GAULS 309 


This, indeed, they did. The Gauls called a 
general assembly of the tribes at Bibracte and 
ordered a levy of troops from all, two hundred 
and forty thousand foot-soldiers and eight 
thousand horsemen. Even the tribes which 
Cassar had treated best joined in the common 
attack on him. The huge army of relief was 
placed in command of Comius, the Atrebatian, 
the man who as Csesar’s friend had been sig¬ 
nally honored and had had his tribe exempted 
from taxation. He had once been sent to 
Britain to negotiate with the Britons as Caesar’s 
ambassador. 

But times had changed, and the Gauls, thor¬ 
oughly aroused, had resolved to stake all on 
one last desperate undertaking. Their army 
assembled in the country of the -®duans and 
marched towards Alesia, believing that the Ro¬ 
mans could not withstand such a multitude, 
especially when sallies should be made from 
Alesia at the time the army of relief attacked. 

“ I thought this building of siege-works and 
defenses was over,” complained Lucius to his 
brother Titus. “ Will our work of digging en¬ 
trenchments never end? ” 

“ Don’t complain,” said Titus. “We all 


310 ON LAND AND SEA WITH CJESAR 


must work. You’ll be glad when the attack 
comes that we have strong defenses. With an 
army inside the town fully as large as our own 
and a tremendous mob of the enemy gathering 
in our rear, we shall need as strong works as 
it is possible to build, if we are to turn back 
their attack.” 

The Roman engineers had never ceased for 
a moment the task of adding to their defenses 
every possible contrivance to make them dif¬ 
ficult of approach. The cleverness of some of 
these inventions excited the admiration of the 
legionaries, even while they grumbled at the 
extra work they brought. 

The nickname “ lilies ” was given to the 
wolf-pits in which pointed stakes were driven 
in the ground, circular pits, sloping to a point 
at the center. These conical pits, three feet 
across, were dug out in a checker-board pattern 
over the ground in front of the Roman walls 
and were concealed with coverings of inter¬ 
laced twigs and small branches of trees. Be¬ 
fore them, rows of stakes were driven close 
together, armed with iron spurs, the contri¬ 
vance resembling a huge fishing-tackle. 

Five rows of slanting trenches five feet in 


THE LAST STAND OF THE GAULS 311 


depth were dug, and in them was set an abatis 
of interlaced branches. These, never before 
constructed by even those legionaries of longest 
and most varied service in the army, were 
called “ cippi ” by the men, meaning “ bound¬ 
ary stones.” Behind them lay eight rows of 
the wolf-pits. 

“ I should like to see any force of the enemy 
try to break through this line of entangle¬ 
ments,” said Titus. “We should have an easy 
time mowing them down with our arrows and 
our stone-throwing artillery.” 

“ I don’t believe they will try it,” said the 
Knight Mamurra. “We engineers have done 
our part, haven’t we? It is up to the legion¬ 
aries now to defend the works.” 

“ We’ll do it, never fear,” said Julius. 

Comius and his great army at length arrived, 
camping on the heights to the southwest of the 
Roman position. Next day the army of relief 
was led out to attack, covering the entire plain. 
Vercingetorix, able to see every movement 
from the high plateau on which he was sur¬ 
rounded, ordered the garrison of Alesia to as¬ 
sault the Roman earthworks. 

The assaulting columns of the besieged 


312 ON LAND AND SEA WITH C^SAR 


reached the twenty-foot ditch and began to fill 
it up. They were repulsed by a shower of 
Roman missiles and could not make their way 
to the entanglements that barred the near ap¬ 
proaches to the legionaries’ fortifications. 

On the plain the battle lasted from noon till 
sundown. When night fell, Comius withdrew 
his army of relief to his camp, unable to make 
headway against the Roman cavalry and light¬ 
armed troops sent out to meet him. Few of 
the legionaries were sent into action, those who 
did get into the battle being sent as reinforce¬ 
ments to any light-armed troops which had 
become hard-pressed at any point. 

Next day but one the army of relief again 
attacked, having in the meantime prepared 
great quantities of hurdles to fill up the ditches, 
together with scaling ladders with which to 
mount the ramparts. 

Midnight was chosen for the zero hour for 
making the attack. The place was on the 
western plain. 

The Gauls came on with a prodigious shout¬ 
ing, this time supplementing their attack with 
showers of arrows and sling-stones from their 
own light-armed troops. Vercingetorix heard 


THE LAST STAND OF THE GAULS 313 

the noise and, sounding a signal with trumpets, 
he gathered his garrison together and led it 
forth again in a sally. 

Each legionary knew his post. The walls 
were quickly manned and reinforcements were 
hurried to the point of attack from the nearest 
redoubt, to both the inner and the outer line of 
earthworks. 

A desperate combat in the darkness ensued, 
which brought heavy losses to both sides, last¬ 
ing till daylight came. Then the Gauls retired, 
beaten for the second time. 

Comius resolved to make one more effort to 
break through the Roman lines and bring relief 
to Vercingetorix. This time he went to work 
in a systematic fashion to discover the weakest 
spot. On the northwest of the town was a hill 
which the Roman engineers had not included 
in their line of earthworks because of its great 
extent. The wall had been run to the foot of 
the hill through comparatively low ground. 
An outpost held the summit. 

Back of this hill the Gauls assembled sixty 
thousand of their best warriors, sending them 
secretly to the spot by night. The hour of the 
attack was set for noon. 


314 ON LAND ANI) SEA WITH CAESAR 

The attack was sudden and severe. It swept 
the outpost from the hill. The Gauls pressed 
on to whatever part of the wall seemed weakest, 
displaying the greatest bravery. The brunt 
of the assault fell on the northwest Roman 
camp, where from the high ground above, the 
barbarians could most effectively hurl their 
missiles. 

The attack became general all along the 
line, Vercingetorix leading his forces again out 
from Alesia to attack the inner fortifications. 
When the struggle reached its height, the Ro¬ 
man general found he had to meet two in¬ 
fantry armies at once, each as large as his own 
entire force. 

But Csesar was equal to the emergency. 
Stationing himself on an elevation from which 
he could survey the whole field of battle, he 
sent reinforcements as needed to each spot 
where the legionaries seemed to be most in dis¬ 
tress. 

“ Baculus,” the general ordered, “ take four 
cohorts of your legion and rush them to the 
northwest camp. Labienus and the tenth le¬ 
gion appear to be having difficulty there and 
need relief.” 


THE LAST STAND OF THE GAULS 315 

“Forward, on the run!” shouted the first 
centurion of the twelfth legion. 

“ Forward, on the run! ” repeated Varenus, 
Titus, and Julius. 

Baculus with his first cohort and the other 
three officers with the second, third, and fourth, 
rushed to the threatened point. They arrived 
none too soon, for the hard-pressed legionaries 
of the tenth had used all their missiles and the 
enemy had begun to swarm over the walls. 

“ I am sent to your relief with four cohorts. 
Lieutenant Labienus,” panted Baculus, out of 
breath wth his rapid advance. “ Where do 
you wish them put? ” 

“ Anywhere along the wall,” said the lieu¬ 
tenant, grimly. “ Place them in anywhere with 
my men. This attack is a nasty one. The 
enemy are determined.” 

Even with these reinforcements, Labienus 
could not drive the enemy back. As soon as 
one attack was repulsed, the barbarians rallied 
and returned to storm the walls with renewed 
vigor. On they came again and again. The 
ferocity of their charges had never been 
equaled. 

Cgesar sent young Brutus with six cohorts as 


316 ON LAND AND SEA WITH CAESAR 


additional reinforcements, then Caius Fabius, 
his lieutenant, with seven more. No further 
reinforcements could be spared for this north¬ 
west camp for the moment, because of trouble 
in another part of the field, where Vercinge- 
torix and his besieged army had nearly broken 
through the lines at one point. 

To the relief of this part of his army Cgesar 
rushed in person. His presence, in his brilliant 
general’s cloak, encouraged his hard-pressed 
men. The wavering legions rallied and charged 
upon the enemy with the sword, driving Ver- 
cingetorix back into Alesia. 

Cgesar called into action his cavalry, which 
up to this time had not taken part in the bat¬ 
tle, ordering a large body of it to make a cir¬ 
cuit of the walls and fall upon the rear of the 
force that was pressing the northwest camp 
so hard. The general himself, as soon as Ver- 
cingetorix’s attack had been beaten off, took 
with him the rest of the cavalry and four more 
cohorts and hastened to Labienus’ relief. 

“ There the Gauls come again,” shouted 
Titus. 

“ Steady, men. Aim every javelin yoii 
throw,” ordered Julius. 


THE LAST STAND OF THE GAULS 317 

Another wave of barbarians swept towards 
the Roman rampart. The ditches by this 
time had been nearly filled. Over the rough 
ground and right up to the foot of the ram¬ 
parts the Gauls pressed in savage fury, mak¬ 
ing a seemingly irresistible attack. 

“ What shall we do, sir? ” asked Titus, ad¬ 
dressing Labienus. “ Our supply of weapons 
is nearly exhausted. The men can’t stand this 
much longer without more help. They are 
falling by hundreds. I have had more than 
half my cohort put out of action.” 

“We must use the sword, then,” declared 
the commander of the tenth legion. 

He made his way to where Gametius stood 
with the eagle-crowned standard of the legion, 
The veteran standard-bearer’s right wrist had 
been shattered by a stone. He steadfastly re¬ 
fused to leave his post to have the wound 
dressed. Discarding his shield from his left 
arm, Gametius held the standard firmly with 
his left hand, raising it now and then so that 
all the men might see. 

“ Forward, Gametius! Lead a charge,” 
shouted Labienus. 

Together the lieutenant and the standard- 


318 ON LAND AND SEA WITH C^SAR 


bearer leaped from the ramparts, the men fol¬ 
lowing. 

An arrow struck Gametius in the forehead, 
just below his helmet. It cut a gash the full 
length of the forehead, the blood filling both 
his eyes. 

The legionaries of the tenth and twelfth 
broke into a yell as they charged after the eagle 
at Labienus’ command. Down from the ram¬ 
parts they hurled themselves, and fell upon the 
advancing enemy in a furious attack with the 
sword. 

The wounded Gametius staggered and al¬ 
most fell. 

“ What’s the trouble, Gametius? ” asked 
Julius, imshing to his side. “ Are you hit? ” 

“ My eyes. I can’t see. They are filled with 
blood,” answered the standard-bearer. “ My 
right hand is useless. Wipe my eyes out, will 
you, or lead me on.” 

“ Let me have the standard. I’ll carry it for 
you.” Julius tried to wrench the standard 
from his grasp. The charging legionaries 
swept by them on the run. 

“ No, it’s mine to carry,” asserted Gametius. 
“ I will not give it up.” 


THE LAST STAND OF THE GAULS 319 


An enemy spear, hurled from the hill above, 
struck him full in the throat. 

As he fell, Julius tore the standard from 
his hand. “ Take it,” he ordered a legionary 
by his side. “ Lead on the charge.” 

The new standard-bearer grasped the stand¬ 
ard and rushed into the thickest of the fight¬ 
ing. 

While Julius stooped to attend to his 
wounded friend, the legionaries rushed by him 
in their impetuous charge, raising a mighty 
shout as they bore down upon the foe. The 
decisive moment of the long conflict had come. 

At this moment, the German cavalry, hav¬ 
ing completed their roundabout journey unob¬ 
served, charged sharply on the left rear of the 
attacking Gauls. 

Csesar, in his general’s cloak, having forced 
Vercingetorix to fall back, arrived with his four 
reserve cohorts and a squadron of cavalry and 
hurled them into the fray to supplement La- 
bienus’ counter-charge. Spurred on by their 
commander’s presence, the attack of the le¬ 
gionaries was not to be denied. 

The hosts of the enemy were crumpled up 
by the fierceness of the onslaught. A moment 


320 ON LAND AND SEA WITH C.ESAR 

before, the Gauls seemed on the threshold of 
victory. Then they had been pressing the at¬ 
tack, forcing back step by step the crack legion 
of the Roman army, the tenth, crushing it by 
weight of numbers, mowing down its ranks 
with savage onslaughts. The rebel army of re¬ 
lief had almost penetrated the Roman line. 
Once inside that line, the barbarians would 
have had the legionaries at their mercy. 

That moment passed without the coveted 
penetration of the Roman defense. The next, 
the Gauls found themselves on the defensive. 
The Roman reinforcements hurled into the 
breach just at the decisive moment turned the 
tide of battle that had threatened to engulf the 
struggling legions, caught between the two 
jaws of a vise, with foes in front and in the 
rear. 

The vigor of the Gauls’ attack slackened. 
Now it was their turn to be pressed hard. 
The German cavalry dashed at their rear. 
The battered tenth legion and its reinforce¬ 
ments pressed them relentlessly on the front. 
They turned and fled, routed and pursued. 

Vercingetorix, seeing that the army sent to 
his relief had failed to bring the promised help, 















THE LAST STAND OF THE GAULS 321 


retired with his own army to the refuge of his 
fortress on the plateau of Alesia, dejected, 
hopeless. Nothing remained for him but to 
surrender. 

The slackened pressure on his front line per¬ 
mitted Csesar to draw troops from those de¬ 
fenses to hurl against the Gallic army of re¬ 
lief. He followed up with vigor his success at 
the northwest redoubt. 

The Gauls who had not been in the fighting 
caught the spirit of panic and withdrew from 
the field. Csesar ordered his cavalry to attack 
all along the line, scattering the Gauls in all 
directions. The retreat beeame a rout, seventy- 
four of the Gallic standards were captured 
and their great army was reduced to a mob of 
fugitives, cut down by thousands by the pur¬ 
suing cavalry and legionaries. Not until weeks 
later would the scattered remnant of the Gallic 
soldiers reach the territories of their own tribes. 

Julius raised Gametius in his arms. 

“ Nobly done, old hero,” he said. 

There was no response. 

“ Do you hear me, Gametius? It is Julius. 
Look up. I’ll stay by you and help you to the 
rear.” 


322 ON LAND AND SEA WITH C^ESAIi 

The charging cohorts of Latienus passed by 
them. The fresh relief force brought by Cae¬ 
sar came up and rushed, yelling, by the young 
centurion and the veteran standard-bearer, on 
into the desperate encounter that brought vic¬ 
tory. 

“ Look, Gametius,” whispered Julius, “We 
are winning now. The charge you led has 
turned the tide of battle. The enemy are 
yielding. Yes, they’ve turned to flee. They’re 
routed.” 

He wiped the red flood tenderly from Ga- 
metius’ eyes, caressed his blood-stained face 
and fixed his own clear gaze on the veteran’s 
familiar features. 

“ Gametius,” he implored, tears springing 
to his eyes, “ can’t you realize? The victory is 
ours.” 

Gametius’ eyes would never see again. His 
hand would never again grasp the staff of the 
eagle-crowned standard. The veteran had 
fought his last fight. 

The young centurion laid the body on the 
ground and, broken-hearted, made his way to 
take his place in the exultant Roman ranks. 


CHAPTER XXVI 


A TALE RETOLD 

“ And thatj I think, was the hardest fight 
I was ever in,” concluded Centurion Julius 
Colenus. 

“ But you haven’t finished,” pleaded the boy 
at his knee. “ Tell me more about the battle 
of Alesia. I want to hear how Vercingetorix 
surrendered.” 

Young Titus Colenus looked pleadingly up 
at his father. 

“You tell the story yourself. You know it 
well enough by this time,” replied the veteran 
soldier. 

Centurion Julius, long ago honorably dis¬ 
charged from the army, had indeed related, 
time and time again to his son, the story of his 
exploits in Caesar’s army in the Gallic cam¬ 
paign. But the boy never tired of hearing 
the well-known tale and his chief delight was 
to listen to his father’s recital of the siege of 
Alesia. 

“ It was like this,” the little boy began. 

323 


324 ON LAND AND SEA WITH C^SAR 


“ After the German cavalry had charged into 
the rear of the Gallic line, Caesar and the Ro¬ 
man legionaries fell on them and the enemy 
ran away. My father and my Uncle Titus led 
their men on and the Gauls could not resist 
them. Then Vercingetorix had to surrender 
because all his soldiers had run away.” 

“ And what happened then? ” questioned his 
father. 

“ The rebel chief put on his best armor, took 
his best horse and rode out to Caesar’s camp. 
He rode his horse clear ’round the general in 
a circle. Then he jumped down from the horse 
and took off all his armor and sat down at 
Caesar’s feet and waited there till they led him 
away a prisoner.” 

‘‘ What happened then? ” inquired the vet¬ 
eran soldier. 

“ Oh, my father and the other Roman sol¬ 
diers took lots of prisoners,” replied the boy. 

“ What became of the other chiefs? ” 

“ They all ran away, but some of them the 
Romans never caught. Ambiorix, the old ras¬ 
cal, who made them so much trouble chasing 
after him, got away over to Britain, I guess.” 

“ Why do you call him an old rascal? ” 


A TALE RETOLD 


325 


“ That’s what you call him, Father.” 

“Yes, I know I do, sometimes, when I tell 
you about the campaigns, but I don’t think we 
ought to. He was a brave and able leader, 
and so was Vercingetorix. You must remem¬ 
ber they were fighting for their liberty and the 
liberty of their people.” 

“ He lost his own liberty, didn’t he? ” con¬ 
tinued the boy. 

“Yes, if you mean Vercingetorix. He was 
led in chains through the streets of Rome in 
Caesar’s triumph.” 

“ And you were there to see him. Father? ” 

“ No, we legionaries remained in Gaul. I 
went to Rome later, when the Civil War came 
on. 

“ Didn’t the Gauls bother you any more 
after their defeat at Alesia? ” 

“Not very much. They never rose all to¬ 
gether in revolt again. We had some small 
insurrections to put down, but that was all. 
It was hard work, to be sure, but nothing like 
having eighty-five tribes put a quarter of a 
million men in the field against us all at once.” 

“ Where did you first meet Mark Antony? ” 
inquired the boy, after a moment’s silence. 


326 ON LAND AND SEA WITH CiESAR 

“ Don’t you remember? I have told you 
many times. He was at the siege of Alesia 
and was commander at our headquarters the 
winter following. He became a qusestor in the 
army later.” 

“ Why did you stay in camp that winter? 
The other legions were out fighting, were they 
not?” 

“Yes, all but one of them. We had been 
so cut to pieces in the terrible battle that we 
needed rest and our ranks had been sadly re¬ 
duced by our heavy losses.” 

“Was that the battle in which my Uncle 
Titus was so badly wounded? ” 

“Yes, he almost lost his life, but he recov¬ 
ered and so did your Uncle Lucius, who was 
badly wounded, too.” 

“ And Gametius? ” 

“You know the story,” said his father sadly. 
“ Gametius died in my arms.” 


THE END 





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